


The Quest

by EnlightenedCrystal



Series: The Return [1]
Category: The Dark Crystal (1982), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)
Genre: Let's see where it goes, Post-Canon, Post-Movie, just an idea i had
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:54:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 32,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28516722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnlightenedCrystal/pseuds/EnlightenedCrystal
Summary: Roughly three weeks after the events of the original film, Jen inadvertently dreamfasts with an unidentified source located far from the Castle of the Crystal. With the hope of finding more gelfling, he and Kira set out on another journey across Thra, all while still trying to figure out their feelings for each other.This is the first part of what I hope to be a series in what I see as an "extended epilogue" to the movie. I hope you enjoy.
Relationships: Brea/Kylan (Dark Crystal), Deet/Rian (Dark Crystal), Jen/Kira (Dark Crystal)
Series: The Return [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088993
Comments: 15
Kudos: 18





	1. Adjusting

In the heart of the Castle of the Crystal, amidst a towering collection of books and scrolls, there sat the last male gelfling. The Great Healer and Savior of Thra, Jen.

While he would never claim himself to be nothing more than a simple being of Thra, it was getting increasingly harder for Jen to ignore just how much his name was being praised in the three weeks since the crystal was healed. The creatures of Thra showed their appreciation through a manner of different ways, but more often than not, said appreciation would be heavily exaggerated, specifically by the podlings. _Especially_ by the podlings.

Throughout the many parties held in the castle by the now ex-slaves, two things were constant in relation to Jen:

  1. Every night, without fail, he would be pulled into a fast-paced dance (often against his will) by a podling female, where he would spend the next three minutes getting spun around wildly.
  2. Several drunken toasts would be proclaimed in the name of “the glorious gelfling boy” that saved the world and banished the Skeksis from Thra.



Jen didn’t begrudge the podlings for their carefree attitude and high praise, but he often felt inadequate in comparison to the false image they were claiming him to be. Growing up with the Mystics, Jen had spent countless nights listening to urSu recount tales of the many heroes of Thra and the different stories of how things came to be. The irony that he had most likely cemented himself into the same type of legend was not lost on him.

However, Jen was far more than a legend, because he was really here, in the present and in flesh and blood, and he needed to quickly curtail any inaccuracies in the podling’s stories, lest he start to get egocentric. Or even worse, find himself in a situation that proved them wrong.

So, here he was at a small desk in the library of the castle, gently but thoroughly going over several texts detailing the complexities of the podling language, hoping to absorb enough information to at least be able to get through a standard greeting. Still, it was slow going, and it didn’t help that the texts Jen was currently reading were nearly about to disintegrate after several trine of non-use. The writing was smudged and barely legible, the paper yellowed and ingrained with so many layers of dust that Jen thought he would suffer death by sneezing. 

Clearly, the Skeksis didn’t put much stock in learning to communicate with the other races that inhabited the planet.

With a small sigh, followed by another sneeze, Jen carefully closed the aged tome in his hands, setting it on top of a pile at his side. It was times like this where he wished he had Kira to help teach him. At least then he could get in some good practice.

Standing up and stretching his arms above his head, he let his mind wander freely, thinking about the female gelfling that had aided him in his journey. After the Crystal of Truth had been healed, and Kira revived, the air between the last remaining gelflings had been… different, to say the least. With the dying land restored to its former glory and the UrSkeks naming them as the de facto keepers of the Crystal, a countless amount of new responsibilities had now been delegated to the pair, much to their surprise.

Between hauling the Garthim carcasses out of the castle and gradually removing the remaining possessions of the Skeksis, the culmination of work had become too exhausting for the young girl. Hoping that some time back home would cheer her up, she had left a week prior to return to her village, with several podlings in tow. 

While he knew she would eventually come back, saying goodbye had left Jen feeling hollow, almost like when he had watched his master pass on. Jen chalked it up to simply being caught up in the moment, but as the days passed he found himself casually thinking more and more about Kira. Her shiny hair, her dark eyes, the way she constantly smiled as she talked….

**_“Gelfling!”_ **

“What?” Jen turned to his left, coming face-to-face with Aughra. Surprised, he let out a small gasp as the ancient old woman stared at him quizzically.

“What are you doing staring into space, Gelfling? Only Aughra has time to see the heavens, you have responsibilities here!” She hollered, her single eye blinking rapidly as she took a few steps back.

Jen let out a small cough, now recovered from his fright. “Sorry, Aughra. I didn’t hear you come in. Um, what did you want?”

“Who, me?” Aughra asked, then sniffed the air harshly. “I want for nothing, but those noisy podlings are holding another feast, and they’re wondering where their great hero went so that they could celebrate his honor!”

Jen outwardly groaned. Great, another party. Did the podlings ever take a break? After cramming his mind with literature all day, he was starting to get a headache. The last thing he needed was loud music and drinks that would only worsen his condition.

Rubbing his forehead for added effect, Jen spoke again. “Thanks, but could you please tell them I won’t be joining them tonight? I think I’m going to turn in a bit early.”

Aughra sniffed the air again, then nodded. “Fine then, suit yourself! But you’ll miss out on your present.” Before she could walk away Jen stopped her again.

“Wait, Aughra! What present? Did they make something for me?”

“Bah!” The ancient woman groaned, “More like _found_ something for you. Multiple things, in fact.” 

Jen looked down at the floor in thought before sighing again. “Well, I guess it would be impolite of me not to show. After all, they did go through the trouble of getting me a gift, right Aughra? Aughra?”

Jen looked back up to see that the embodiment of Thra had slipped silently out the door, leaving him alone in the library.

The young gelfling laughed to himself a little as he followed after her, already hearing the rhythm of the podlings’ drums in the distance.

“For a woman as old as her, she sure does move fast...” 

**XXXX**

Kira stepped out of the green waters of the creek, a small smile on her lips. She had been helping Ydra move dirt so that the podling woman could plant a garden, but the gelfling girl had never known that she could get so dirty in a single evening, aside from if she were to jump into a mud pit. Despite all appearances, Kira really did have a penchant for cleanliness, and though she was raised by the podlings she preferred to wash at least once every few days. 

Shaking her white locks free of excess water, Kira made her way to a small rock where she had set down her clothes prior to bathing. Pulling the garments up over her head, she was nearly done fixing her skirt when a loud bark from behind the trees caught her attention. A light brown ball of fur scampered out of the bushes and stopped in front of Kira, and she laughed as the little beady eyes stared up at her.

“Fizzgig! Did you have fun chasing bugs while I was busy?”

The furry creature gave another affirmative bark, then rolled to the water’s edge to take a drink. When he had refreshed himself, Fizzgig ran back to Kira excitedly, jumping into her arms so that she could carry him back to the village.

The young girl smiled, glancing at the three moons traversing the sky. Tonight would be the night of one of the biggest parties Kira had ever seen. Now that the Skeksis were gone, and with them the fear of the Garthim, her village was finally free to extend their festivities to the whole of the village rather than just a few small huts. The entire place was covered in decorations; streamers and bits of plant life hanging in between buildings, along with paper cut-outs representing different figures from history, some not-too-discreetly resembling herself and Jen.

Normally a small thing like this wouldn’t bother Kira; it was nice to be praised, and Jen deserved to be honored as well, but that wasn’t what bothered her about the decorations. Wherever there were cut-outs in her likeness, they were always connected to those of the gelfling boy somehow, be it by another strip of paper in between or something similar. Just an hour ago she had even seen one where they were holding hands!

Kira wasn’t exactly against the idea of her and Jen… together, but it made her somewhat uncomfortable to be reminded of it at every turn. She was still a bit young - they both were - so why couldn’t they be given time to consider it awhile, before being pressured into it? 

Jen probably didn’t even think of her like that anyway. After the events at the Castle a few weeks ago, the two of them had been so busy they had barely spoken to each other until Kira had to return with the podlings to her village. To say that their goodbye was awkward was an understatement.

She was just so confused.

As if sensing her frustrations, Fizzgig let out a short whine and nuzzled into her neck, bringing Kira out of her mind and back to the present moment. Smiling, the gelfling girl made her way to a small hut where a group of podlings were filling up gourds with various different spirits, adding her voice to the rambunctious tune they were singing. Here, amongst her family, it was easy to dispel these melancholic feelings, and Kira calmly swayed to the chorus of voices, immersing herself in both the music of her people and the collective song of Thra.

And yet, despite this sense of peace, she couldn’t help but feel… Empty.

**XXXX**

The party proved to be more calm than Jen expected. Rather than the chaotic back-and-forth rhythm he was used to hearing, tonight the podling drummers were playing a light beat on their instruments, just fast enough so that one could dance to it if they wished. 

Since the expulsion of the Skeksis, Jen and the podlings had reformatted the dining hall to suit those of smaller stature, taking apart the high tables and giant chairs and using them as parts for much simpler, miniature versions of themselves. Using this system they had erected three tables - each roughly twenty feet long - placed alongside each other with room between to allow the easy serving of food.

Tonight however, only two tables occupied the hall. The middle table had been moved to stand in the back against a wall. Several items that Jen couldn’t recognize were stacked on top of it, nearly spilling out onto the floor despite how reverently placed they looked.

The podlings left standing because of the missing table had migrated to the perimeter of the hall, happily conversing with each other in their language.

A podling yelled his name, diverting Jen’s attention to the other tables, where several podlings were already digging into their meals. At the end of the right-most table sat Aughra, beside her the podling that called Jen’s name was now waving to the gelfling. Although the gesture was clear, Jen was still happy to find that he was able to understand the podling’s words.

_“Come! Come! Sit here with Aughra.”_

_“Okay,”_ Jen responded, taking care not to mispronounce his words. _“I’m coming.”_

The podling’s eyes widened in surprise, and they turned to Aughra, who simply nodded.

“See? Told you he was practicing! Soon he’ll be just as good as the other one.”

Jen smiled at the old woman’s praise as he sat down next to her, taking a ladle and serving himself some soup into a bowl. “I’m not that good yet. Kira could probably talk circles around me.” 

“Maybe,” Aughra huffed, “but it’d be another point of bonding. Grow closer, maybe…”

Jen tuned her out before he could hear anymore, preferring to stare into his bowl and eat his soup. Thinking about Kira was bringing about that strange hollow feeling again in the pit of his stomach, and it confused Jen. What was causing this? Was he sick?

Reaching up to fix the collar of his tunic, Jen felt the cord of the wooden firca around his neck. Clutching the instrument in his hand, something clicked in the young gelfling’s mind, and he let out a small, sad smile.

_No,_ thought Jen. _This is the same feeling that I used to get in the Valley. It’s loneliness._

He remembered how only a little over an unum ago he had played his firca near the spring for the very last time, mere hours before he was sent out on his quest. The song Jen usually played there was one he had made for himself, back when he was a child, in order to soothe his loneliness when he needed it. 

Jen recalled wistfully how he had never shared that song with any of the urRu, always keeping it to himself, and stopping whenever he sensed one of the old creatures hobbling in his direction. It wasn’t that the young gelfling didn’t wish for them to hear it. No, it was more appropriate to say that the song just wasn’t meant for them, but for other gelfling.

For most of his life, “other gelfling” simply meant Jen himself. Jen _alone._ He thought that he would never have the chance to play amongst his own kind, to bask in the concept that he wasn’t truly alone.

He had gotten his wish when he met Kira. She was the only other person in all of Thra that had ever heard his song, back when they were traveling on the river by boat. Even if they were the last of their kind, Jen was finally happy to play for someone other than himself.

But now, for the time being at least, Kira was gone, spending time with her podling family. And Jen was alone.

_Again._

The realization made him sigh, and he set his bowl back down on the table, effectively losing his appetite. “I’m just not the type for parties, am I?” He whispered to himself.

A tap on his shoulder made him turn to the left, locking eyes with a group of podlings, some smiling, others chattering quietly. The podling that tapped his shoulder was an older female, her grey hair peeking out from under the small hat on her head.

 _“Come,”_ she said, still smiling. _“Time for your gifts.”_

Despite his lamentations, Jen couldn’t help but return her kindness with a smile of his own. Standing up from the table, the gelfling followed the group of podlings to the back of the dining hall, where the mysterious items were still piled on the third table. 

Now that he was closer, Jen recognized several of the things to be articles of clothing, along with a few leather-bound books that were spread out. Journals, perhaps? Among the other items were a small collection of weapons, primarily consisting of swords and longspears. Although they looked to be excellently crafted, the gelfling was far less inclined to inspect them, instead choosing to pick up a dark brown cloak, not unlike the tan one he was currently wearing. 

Feeling the material with his fingers, Jen glanced back to the podlings. “Where did you find all this?”

The old podling woman spoke in a string of indiscernible words, prompting Jen to ask her to speak in gelfling. After a moment to think, she spoke again, using short sentences to explain.

“Gelfling live here once! In castle!” 

The gelfling boy’s eyes widened in shock. “Really? When?”

“Not for long time,” she answered, albeit less enthusiastically. Then she brightened up again. “But gift for you! From us friends. Put on! Put on!”

Around them the other podlings echoed her in a chorus of happy pleadings. Jen couldn’t help but give in, allowing them to help assist in the removal of his old cloak so that he could wear his new gift.

Upon further observation, it turned out not to be a cloak or cape, but more similar to a long coat, reaching all the way down to Jen’s knees. The sleeves were a bit long, so he had to roll them back up to his wrists, but other than that, it was a near-perfect fit.

Rotating around for his audience, Jen smiled at how the little people marveled at him, staring up in wonderment as he showed off their present. It made him feel good, to help these displaced podlings feel joy. They no longer had villages to return to, and in that sense Jen could relate to them, having just been thinking of the Valley.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, staying here in the castle. Even if for now he was the only gelfling, Jen had a hunch that he could find solace here amongst these podlings. 

_After all,_ he thought, _they’re already calling me a friend. I think I could get used to that._

Jen felt a new confidence come over him, as if he was breathing life anew. 

_Maybe it’s the coat?_

Straightening his shoulders, Jen bowed his head to the podlings appreciatively. “Thank you very much. I’ll be sure to cherish all of your gifts.” Then, with a bit of a grin, he repeated the first Podling phrase he had learned: _“Fala vam.” -_ ‘Thank you.’

The podlings broke out into another chorus of happy rambling. On the other side of the room, the drums had finally returned to the crazy rhythm that Jen was accustomed to hearing, and the young gelfling watched with a smile as the little group of people before him began to partner up and break into singing and dancing. 

Turning away from the festivities, Jen reapproached the gift table, observing the rest of its contents with a grateful eye. Aughra joined him, shuffling over to stand at his right.

Nonchalantly, she grasped a stray dagger, then tossed it back unceremoniously.

“Strange gifts for one who abhors violence, hmm?”

Jen frowned a little at her actions, before scanning the table again. “It’s the thought that counts, Aughra. Besides,” he said, reaching over a pile of clothes to grab one of the leather books, “some of this stuff I could learn to cherish.”

After he had collected a sufficient number of reading material, the gelfling bowed slightly in her direction, taking care not to shake the tower of literature in his arms. Aughra simply raised an eyebrow at him, her face contorting into an expression of confusion.

“Where are you going with that?” She questioned. “Starting your cherishing already?”

Jen merely smiled from behind the stack of books. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Aughra. Goodnight.”

With that, the gelfling turned around and strode out of the dining hall, no doubt back towards the library. Aughra shook her head in disbelief, turning back to the dancing podlings.

“Hmph! Here I am trying to sow the seeds of the new gelfling race, and all he can think about is a bunch of old books!”

**XXXX**

Kira laughed as she stumbled over a stray rock, steadying her drunken mother before they continued their walk back to their home. Ydra, perhaps seeing an opportunity to fully cut loose, had consumed far more than her fill of drinks during the course of the party, so now it was Kira’s filial duty to make sure that she made it back safely. Kira herself had had a few cups of the podling’s specialty wine, and as they stepped haphazardly to their destination, the two females joked together, laughing even when neither had said anything. Behind them, Fizzgig dutifully followed, walking a straighter line than either of his owners.

Out of nowhere, Kira felt her adopted mother slump against her, her weight pushing them both to the ground. Despite the thin haze of tipsiness, the younger girl let out a noise of concern. _“Ah! Mother, are you okay?”_

The sound of heavy snoring was her only response.

Kira let out a short breath, grimacing at the aftertaste of the wine, before looking down at Ydra and smiling. _“Goodnight, mother.”_

Gazing up at the sky, she took account of the position of the moons. Two of the three sisters were still rather high, but one was nearly about to disappear over the horizon, signalling to Kira that the party was lasting nearly the whole night. Indeed, the festivities would probably last until part of the next morning, if the podlings desired as much.

She thought she knew what a party was before. This one tonight was on a whole other level. _This must’ve been what it was like before the Garthim,_ Kira pondered, watching the stars above her shine amidst the black canvas that was the sky.

Settling herself on the ground with Ydra at her side, the gelfling let her eyes slide shut, humming softly to herself, though she couldn’t remember where she had heard the tune before. In a rare act of selfishness, she thought of the gelfling race, and the possibility that maybe the Skeksis were figments of her imagination - that **_dying_ **was just a figment of her imagination - and she would wake up in a world where other gelfling existed.

A happy world where she had never been hidden inside that sad, lonely tree.

She felt Fizzgig lick at her face where her tears had fallen, and then she felt herself grow warmer as he nuzzled against her, and Kira exhaled a deep breath, and she smiled. She began humming the song again, finally feeling consciousness begin to leave her as exhaustion set in. Maybe the Skeksis had been real, but that also meant that they were gone now. _That_ was real, and so was the love between her and the podlings. The song she was humming now was real, too. All of that had to count for something special.

It wasn’t until the moment sleep took her that Kira realized the tune she was humming was the same one Jen had played for her, back when they were traveling on the Black River. He was real too.

The thought made Kira smile again, and she drifted off to sleep in peace.


	2. Incident in the Library

Jen rubbed at his eyes, blinking away the tiredness that threatened to close them. “Not until I’m done reading this…” He said to no one in particular, turning yet another page of the open journal in his hands. Despite his usual eagerness to learn, that elusive headache was beginning to make itself known again. 

He was back at his desk in the library, hunched over the text of the leather book. If UrSu could see him now he would probably scold Jen for his poor posture, but right now the young gelfling was far more concerned with the contents of the journal than however much his back would hurt once he finished. Beside him the complete stack of books stood tall, almost as if it were taunting Jen with a challenge.

“One more page and then I’ll be done, I promise.”

According to this journal, the gelflings who had previously occupied the Castle served as guards prior to the Garthim Wars. While the entries were often personal, Jen was making notes of anything that he deemed interesting or important. However, much like when he was reading the Podling text earlier in the day, Jen was having a bit of trouble. The writing in this journal was sloppy, clearly the work of one who didn’t put much stock in the arts of reading and penmanship, but no matter what, he was determined to unravel the secrets of those who came before him; he was simply too curious not to be.

The headache was unbearable now, and just as Jen flipped the page, his eyes seemed to close of their own will. Jerking his head back, Jen blinked rapidly in a futile attempt to rid himself of his exhaustion, before eventually welcoming the need for rest. Pushing the journal and his notes to the edge of the desk, the gelfling laid his head down to rest upon his arms, screwing his eyes shut.

His head was pulsing now, almost like it was going to explode. Groaning slightly, Jen moved his head to the cold surface of the desk itself, taking some comfort in the soothing feeling, though still the pain persisted. Why was that?

As if to cruelly answer him, the pulsing began to spread down his neck and through his body, effectively ruining any chance of sleep. Jen bolted up and out of his seat immediately, gripping his arms as he stumbled about the library. His eyes were still squeezed tight from the pain, and with no way to see his surroundings, the gelfling found himself crashing from one pile of books to the next. This was like nothing he had ever experienced before, and it frightened him to no end.  **_Why was this happening?_ **

Collapsing to the floor, Jen focused on trying to open his eyes. Braving the pain, the gelfling almost felt relieved when his vision cleared to show several podlings and even Aughra herself standing in the doorway of the library. He must have shouted or made enough noise to alert them, although Jen had no idea how he could’ve feasibly accomplished that feat with the amount of discomfort he was currently in.

Aughra meandered over to his location on the floor and crouched down so that she could examine him. Jen rolled over onto his back, and watched as the old woman’s mouth moved, but no sound seemed to come out. Confused, the gelfling moved his ears in a swiveling motion, frowning when all he could hear was the sound of his own labored breathing. With a pained sigh, Jen closed his eyes again, letting his consciousness sink into nothing as his body burned and convulsed in agony....

**XXXX**

....When Jen woke up, it was to the sound of soft music and quiet whispers.

When the gelfling opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of podlings gathered inside the library, crowded around his position on the floor and tending to him. A blanket had been draped over him as he slept, and Jen found himself gripping it for comfort in his waking confusion.

“Ah… What time is it?” He spoke softly, surprised at the hoarse quality of his voice and the lingering pain in the back of his throat.

To his left an exasperated Aughra made herself known with a huff. “Don’t speak, gelfling! Mustn't speak! You must rest.” The old woman crouched down beside him with a grunt, tapping his forehead with a stubby finger.

Jen blinked at the action, but promptly disobeyed her orders, questioning her with a detached curiosity.

“Aughra, what happened to me?”

The ancient woman stayed silent for a moment, as if wondering herself what had become of him. Watching her sit like that in silence, Jen couldn’t help but be reminded of the equally ancient urRu, and smiled as Aughra’s brow knitted together in a manner similar to how urSu’s used to, whenever the wise Mystic found himself stumped by Jen’s constant questions about the world.

With another huff Aughra answered him. “Can’t be sure until you tell me what happened, gelfling. Why did Aughra find you on the floor?”

Jen’s smile faded from his lips, replaced by a frown. Now it was his turn to remain silent as he tried to recall the events before his collapse. No, collapse wasn’t the right word for what had transpired, it had been a total halting of all his body functions; a seizure of some kind, followed by a complete loss of consciousness.

The gelfling’s train of thought was briefly interrupted when one of the podlings tending to him lifted his head to offer him water from a small dish. Jen recognized her as the same podling woman from the night before, though now instead of mirth and kindness in her eyes, Jen only saw concern and worry. As he drank the water, the gelfling felt his dry throat slowly healing as his thirst was quenched, and a wave of appreciation for the podlings encompassed Jen as the woman set his head down again.

_ No wonder Kira loves them so much,  _ Jen thought.

Wait a second….

In a fantastic display of speed despite his condition, Jen sat up to meet Aughra at eye level, startling both her and the podlings gathered around. With a triumphant cry he shouted, “That’s it! It’s like with Kira!”

Aughra’s features tightened in slight annoyance. “What?” she cried, her single eye glaring at Jen. “This is no time to think of courting! You’re sick for Thra’s sake!”

With an air of fabricated indifference Jen ignored her remark, though his face and ears felt warmer than they had a second ago. Shaking his head, the gelfling spoke again, looking at Aughra like he had just solved the biggest puzzle in the whole universe.

“No, no! It started with a headache, don’t you remember? I had one earlier yesterday, while I was studying the podling texts, and then another when looking through those gelfling journals.” 

“So? What does that have to do with the girl?” Aughra couldn’t understand where he was going with this.

The boy went silent again, but his eyes seemed to glow with understanding.

“It wasn’t a normal headache…” He said, his voice barely a whisper. “It was like when Kira and I dreamfasted, the first time we met. My mind felt different then, like it was welcoming her presence into my memories. Aughra, I felt something similar to that last night, I’m sure of it!”

Aughra stared at him in awe. “But who would be able to do that? That girl Kira might know more about dreamfasting than you, but even she wouldn’t be able to achieve something like that. How could it be a dreamfast when the only gelflings on Thra are separated? Unless...” The words died on her lips as her voice trailed off.

Jen’s eyes lit up with realization at what she was implying, and the old crone could swear she had seen that expression in another gelfling, once, a long time ago. But that was impossible, wasn’t it? Aughra shook her head at the thought. There was only one sure way of finding out the truth. With a tired sigh, she offered her hand to Jen, palm up, inviting him to share.

“Show me, gelfling.” She commanded. “Show Aughra what you saw.”

“You can dreamfast?”

Aughra snorted at his surprise. “Of course I can! You don’t live thousands of trine without learning a few things.” She beckoned him closer, but Jen didn’t move.

“No,” the gelfling said, shuffling away from her outstretched hand. “If it hurt me, it could hurt you too. I’ve already brought you too much trouble, Aughra.”

“If this is about my orrery,” Aughra replied, a knowing look on her face, “then forget it. Aughra can still watch the heavens the old way. Now, gelfling! Take my hand.”

Jen merely shook his head, shrinking back into his blanket like an armalig into its shell. Aughra sighed again. It was time to live up to her title of Mother Aughra, for better or for worse.

“Valiant Jen,” she began, once again offering her hand to him. She watched with a knowing smirk as the boy looked up at her, and now she knew why he looked so familiar. He had his father’s features alright, but deep down he held his mother’s spirit, that beautiful combination of innocence and morality. No wonder he was the chosen one. 

“Take my hand.” Aughra repeated, though this time it held a note of tenderness and warmth that was new to the young gelfling.

Slowly, with a measured amount of caution, Jen placed his hand, palm down, into Aughra’s, but refrained from initiating the dreamfast. Jen stared up at her in awe, eyes shining with a new revelation that had only just occurred to him.

“That’s the first time you’ve ever said my name.” He said, a pleasant smile gracing his features.

Aughra simply grasped his hand tighter. “No, it isn’t.”

Before he could respond, Aughra had already begun the dreamfast, and Jen felt his mind being pulled from out of his body and into a dark void. Just when it seemed like the darkness would last forever, Jen felt the powerful glow of something warm, and he opened his eyes to find himself before The Crystal of Truth, in a room bearing heavy resemblance to the Crystal Chamber inside the castle. A grey fog obscured the ground around him, though by feeling with his feet he could tell that he was standing on a flat surface. The Crystal itself shined with its ethereal beauty, filling the chamber with a sense of purity and calm.

Though he had never been inside this version of the Crystal Chamber, Jen could feel a certain familiarity to it, like it was in his very nature to be here. A word danced on the tip of his tongue, sweetening the cool air around him. It was new and yet still so ingrained into his memory.

Jen gazed around the room, watching as the Crystal let out a soft hum and the chamber seemed to glow just a little brighter. “Th-this place… it’s…”

“That’s right!”

From an entrance Jen had not seen before, Aughra appeared, walking to stand beside him, her single eye fixed upon the Crystal.

“Behold, Valiant Jen! This is the Dream Space, the world within our world.”

**XXXX**

She was cold. She was always cold. That strange feeling in her head last night had been the only source of warmth in a whole unum, and it had ended just as fast as it had begun. Even after all she’d been through, had she still not suffered enough?

She chuckled lightly, finding humor at her own pathetic situation. It was ironic, really. She had seen the land heal itself in a matter of minutes, but still she remained what she was: a monster, broken and incapable of being loved. Now all she was was a danger, both to herself and everything else on Thra. 

And yet she continued to live. Why? It would be so easy to end herself, a simple overload of energy would make sure of that. So why did she insist on hanging on?

_ Hope. _

**“NO!”** She banished the word from her mind, though it would inevitably return. Out of everything she had left behind, that was one of the few things that kept on returning, along with the image of a dark-haired boy and the fabricated notion that she wasn’t a murderer.

**“BUT I AM!”**

There was no denying it! This was what she was now. Nothing could or would ever change that. It was a fact, albeit one that she was still debating, justifying, and turning over and over in her mind.

_ But what were you before? _

**“DON’T! I DON’T WANT TO REMEMBER!”**

_ Yes you do. You were a daughter… _

**“NO!”**

_ A wife… _

**“STOP IT!”**

_ And most importantly… _

“...A mother. I was a mother.” Another fact. Another deep-rooted pain to live with.  **_Why was she still living?_ **

_ Because you felt it. _

Yes, she had. Somewhere, far, far away, there was another. Just like her, and yet completely different. Something foreign, but still so innately precious all the same, and inside them was the same power that was within her, however diluted. That was why she had tried to reach out to it, like she had been able to communicate with the other sick and afflicted creatures in the time before the land healed itself.

She needed to reach out, even if it was just to find solace in the fact that she was not the only one suffering. And for a moment, whatever was out there had answered, welcomed her even, before a burst of pain from where her heart should be forced her to sever the connection, no doubt leaving her victim in a wrecked state devoid of feeling.

There had been warmth there, in the few moments where the connection was strongest, but now she was cold again.

She was always so cold.

_ “All I want is to be  _ **_warm_ ** _.” _


	3. Division

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty then, another chapter! I hope you guys are finding this story to be enjoyable. I know I'm having a lot of fun writing it.

After three days of preparation, Kira was finally returning to the Castle of the Crystal. It had taken the greater part of the day, but after finishing her chores and bidding farewell (for now) to Ydra and the other podlings of her village, she was now settling in on the back of a landstrider with Fizzgig and speeding off in the direction of The Crystal of Truth.

Kira was happier than she had been in a long time. The landstrider she was riding was young and strong, easily maneuvering through the terrain of her home and cutting through creeks in only a few short leaps. With any luck, they would reach the Castle by the time the first sun went down.

Leaning back slightly, the young girl let the wind flow against her, taking comfort in its cool touch as it caressed her face and neck. In her lap, Fizzgig opened and closed his mouth repeatedly in an effort to bite down on the air, only to be disappointed when his jaws caught nothing. Kira laughed at his efforts, moving her hand to scratch behind his ears, which Fizzgig reciprocated by snuggling into her touch.

Soon they would be back at the Castle, where they would reunite with Jen and Aughra, along with the numerous podlings who chose to stay and tend to the place. Kira felt a sort of giddiness well up within her at the thought. 

Ironic, wasn’t it? For most of her life up until this point, she had feared the Castle, had never even entertained the thought of entering it, even if it had piqued her interest as a child. Now here she was, travelling to it, and being _excited_ about traveling to it.

Thra, how fast things could change.

And, despite the promise to herself to take her time, she was going to try to forge a solid friendship with Jen. For now, she would take that over nothing at all, and she had a good feeling Jen probably felt the same way.

A sharp cry from Fizzgig pulled Kira from her reverie just in time to steer the landstrider around the edge of a pit of Gobbles. Even if all of Thra’s creatures had a purpose in living, Kira was adamant that she never find out what lay underneath a Gobble Pit.

“Thanks, Fizzgig. That would’ve been pretty bad, huh?” She said, rewarding the brown ball of fur with another scratch behind the ear. The landstrider made a sort of grunting noise, to which Fizzgig answered with another bark. 

Taking that as an exchange of thanks, Kira smiled and focused back on the trail before her, watching for any other possible obstacles in the road ahead.

“If we want to make it back to the Castle,” she said, “then I have to learn to stop daydreaming while riding.”

**XXXX**

Aughra shuffled along the corridor, deep in thought. 

Perhaps entering the Dream Space with Jen had been a bad decision on her part, but then again, him and the girl were sure to find out about it sooner or later, right? Maybe it was best that she had shown him now, so that later on he wouldn’t make a fool of himself in front of Kira.

“Hmph! I doubt she knows what it is either.” She grumbled, but all the same, what had been revealed to the gelfling boy today, followed by his reaction to that same information, would certainly spell trouble in the future, if not within the day. 

  
  


**_Two hours ago, inside the Dream Space…._ **

  
  


_Aughra watched as Jen strode over to this realm’s version of the Crystal, her singular eye fixed on the gelfling, observing his expression for any changes in demeanor._

_“This place is wonderful!” The boy said, rotating around to face her. “We entered here just by dreamfasting?”_

_Aughra snorted indignantly, moving to circle around the Crystal, making sure to give it a wide berth. When she returned to her original spot, she looked straight at Jen, a trace of a grin on her features._

_“Not just by dreamfasting, Valiant Jen, but dreamfasting with Aughra_ ! _Aughra brought you here so that we may find the cause behind what ails you.” The old woman said matter-of-factly._

_She watched as Jen’s features formed into a scowl, though Aughra knew it wasn’t directed at her, merely her words. “But Aughra, I’m not sick, and we already know what happened! It was a dreamfast, with some gelfling completely different from me or Kira!”_

_“Exactly!” Aughra scoffed. “Completely different from the two of you, which means whatever it is could be dangerous.”_

_“But it’s another gelf-”_

_“Hush! Aughra knows what she’s doing. Now, here, take my hand, and we’ll ask the Crystal.”_

_Jen obliged her, though she could still see the questions filtering through his mind. Ignoring his curiosities for now, Aughra gripped his hand a little tighter, stepping forward to place her free hand upon the white surface of the Crystal. With a deep breath, Aughra let herself sink into its power, taking care to avoid overloading either her or Jen with its purified energy. She had not done something like this in a long time, not since the very early beginnings of Thra, when the Crystal was but a shiny rock and the Skarith Land was just starting to come into existence._

_Aughra felt her spirit mold together with that of the Crystal, and, just barely, she could feel the smallest bit of energy emanating from where her third eye used to be. It made Aughra smile with satisfaction, to know that after all this time she truly was still the avatar of Thra, the Keeper of Secrets, and the Dispenser of Truth. Now she could finally continue where she had left off, all those trine ago._

_When Aughra opened her eye, she found the scenery around her to be changed drastically. She - or rather, her spirit - was no longer entrapped within her body, but floating idly in a sea of white light, bearing witness to everything and nothing all at once._

_“The inside of the Crystal of Truth.” The words were not spoken, nor thought. They simply came to be, then disappeared as quickly as they had come, erased from the plane of existence._

_Gathering her wits, Aughra focused on dividing herself from the Crystal by the smallest degree, just enough to where she could view the Dream Space in its entirety from the Crystal’s position. Around her the sea of light slowly faded, becoming thin and hazy like a fog. With one swift thought, Aughra swept the offending stuff out of the way, bringing into focus what she could only deduce to be the Crystal’s “sight.”_

_Much like her previous location, the Dream Space was now completely blank, but accentuated with enough bright light to somehow retain its shape. Through the eyes of the Crystal-Aughra hybrid she saw two vague figures standing before her, both completely bathed in the same light as before. The first figure was somewhat stout in shape, with a hand raised to the outer layer of the Crystal. At the top of its head there was a faint yellow glow, flickering in time to the dull hum that echoed from the Crystal. Without a doubt, this was Aughra, or at least, this was how Thra saw her, which meant the identity of the other figure was that of Jen, who was still clasping her hand with all his might. There appeared to be nothing wrong with either of them._

_“Hmph! A waste of time.” The Aughra half of the hybrid stated with a growl of annoyance. However, just as she was about to reverse the process and leave, the Crystal half seemed to whisper to her,_ **_“No. Look upon him again.”_ **

_Confused, Aughra returned her gaze to the gelfling boy. Still there was nothing wrong; if there was, then Thra would not see him covered in the same light as Aughra herself. What could possibly…. Hold on, what was that?_

_Though Jen was indeed bathed in the same luminous aura as Aughra, a speck of black, no larger than one of the boy’s taste buds, sat at the center of his form, occupying a space close to his heart. At irregular intervals it would suddenly increase to the size of a small pebble, crackling with energy, before fizzling out and returning to normal size. Jen seemed to be none the wiser to this occurrence, standing silently in deep thought, most likely meditating until Aughra returned to her physical body._

_A painful memory was dredged up from Aughra’s mind then, of the only other time she had seen such dangerous energy be housed within a kind spirit. The thing Aughra considered to be her greatest failure, second only to the division of the UrSkeks._

**_“The Darkening….”_ ** _The Crystal whispered again, its voice fading away before Aughra could really hear it, but the words had their intended impact upon her spirit._

_This was bad. Very, very bad. Even worse with the fact that the boy had no idea what kind of power was locked away within him, slowly feeding on his soul like a parasite. All Jen had felt before was a headache and a seizure. What would he feel next, if this infestation wasn’t cleared out as soon as possible?_

_“Undoubtedly worse.” Aughra stated, wishing that she didn’t sound as afraid as she felt. “But we still have time! There is always time.”_

_First things first, Jen needed to be informed of his condition, followed by a long period of isolation until she could discover a way of combating this nefarious blight. Ceasing control of the Crystal, Aughra floated once more through the sea of light, removing her essence from the core of Thra and restoring it to its rightful place within her physical form. As the process drew to a close, Aughra prayed to Thra and all the stars above that this time things would turn out better. If she couldn’t save this boy, then she wouldn’t just be failing him, but all of Thra as well, and the last thing this world needed to lose was the source of its rejuvenation. If she couldn’t save Jen, Thra would never forgive her, and by association, she could never forgive herself._

**XXXX**

The sound of his firca gave him no comfort. His friend was running out of time, and all he could do was sit and play and try to act as if nothing had happened. It already made him feel sick, to know she was dying, but to know that he couldn’t do anything to help her only increased the ache in his heart.

Once again, he would be failing the ones he loved. Only this time, once she disappeared, he would be the very last of their group, the only one who had been around since the beginning. The final pillar in a collapsing structure, maybe one that was destined to fall from the beginning. Yes, the land had healed itself, which meant that somehow, somewhere, the task had been completed, but the act wasn’t done by any of them, and that made him feel beyond useless; almost betrayed. _It was supposed to be us._ What was the point of all their heroism if someone else did their job for them?

His eyes drifted down to his left braid, where, intertwined with his own black fibers, there was a streak of platinum white, a symbol of a promise he had made almost two decades ago now. He had traded a part of himself for that of the woman he loved, and she in turn offered everything she could to pay back his sacrifice, even after he clearly told her that it wasn’t necessary. But she never listened, and it had cost her dearly.

Another failure on his part. He should’ve been far more stern with her. Of course, the time to overthink what he should’ve and shouldn’t have done was far past, wasn’t it?

Now was not the time to sulk about the many trine past, but what could he hope to do here in the present? Whoever healed the Crystal would not seek them out, of that he was sure. They were far enough away from the Castle that he was sure they weren’t even on the maps anymore. So, just like the others stuck here, he occupied his time doing nothing.

Nothing. His friend was dying, and he could do nothing but sit and play music.

With an angry shout he stood and threw the firca away, seething with self-hatred, though deep down he knew that it came from a place of extreme sorrow. Settling back down into his seat, he stared at nothing, letting himself stew in his own emotions. Around him the creatures of the mountains filled the void of silence, marking him as a living contradiction. A dying man forced to exist in the living world.

“It shouldn’t have ended like this.” He said defeatedly. “Not for us.”

**XXXX**

Since the revitalization of the Skarith Land, the Podlings living within the Castle of the Crystal had domesticated a number of Thra’s creatures for both personal and entertainment purposes. Although the old bridge that once extended from the structure was long gone, the long winding tunnel formerly used by the Garthim had stayed mostly intact after the Great Conjunction, and had since been reinforced to provide safe entry until a new bridge could be built. As it stood now, however, all of the domesticated landstriders collected by the podlings were forced to be corralled into a pen just outside of the tunnel, where one could easily deposit one tired landstrider and exchange it for another.

The First Brother was just beginning its descent below the horizon, and it was here, in this makeshift landstrider stable, that Jen quietly perused about, observing the tall animals with stern eyes. Dressed in his new long coat and a pair of dark boots, the gelfling walked cautiously, taking care not to drop the saddle he carried on his shoulder.

Jen had found it - along with a knife and some flint for starting fires - hidden amongst the table that held all of the Gelfling artifacts given to him by the Podlings. It had been a considerable risk to steal the items, as on Aughra’s orders he was still supposed to be isolated in his room, but now there was no turning back. 

The things he had learned today…. They were worth the risk, he decided. 

Aughra be damned.

Jen stopped in front of a landstrider, putting the saddle down and stepping close to examine it. It looked healthy enough, and it seemed to tolerate him, judging by how it didn’t shy away from his touch. “You’ll do well, friend.”

The landstrider responded with a short whine, and Jen stepped back to retrieve the saddle from its place on the ground. When he returned, the tall creature cocked its head to the side, seemingly confused at what Jen was holding.

The animal’s confusion prompted Jen to explain, and he only hoped that the thing could understand what he was saying. “It’s a saddle, see? We use it to ride more comfortably.”

A soft grunt escaped the landstrider’s mouth, which Jen took to be a scoff. “Why don’t I just show you… uh, boy?”

Another grunt, and this time it sounded angry.

“Okay, okay! Girl, you’re a girl!” The gelfling back-pedaled, ears going back in embarrassment. “Sorry, I’m still learning how to tell the difference.”

Nerves aside, Jen approached the landstrider again, frowning when he realized just how _big_ the creature was. “How am I supposed to get this thing on you?”

The landstrider merely lowered her head in a vague attempt at a shrug. Jen sighed. This was not how he planned on this going. _What if I just throw it on?,_ he thought.

Well, it was worth a shot.

Holding the saddle at waist level, Jen inhaled sharply and widened his stance. Turning his body, he hoped to replicate the movement of a pendulum with his arms. Just swing back and forth, back and forth, let go at the apex, and then…. 

The saddle flipped upside down mid-air.

_Uh oh._

Then it hit the landstrider’s back. Hard.

_Oh shit._

A squeal of surprise echoed throughout the pen, startling the other landstriders and setting off a chain reaction of loud grunts, high-pitched yells, and various whines. Panic set in as Jen heard the sound of podlings coming from inside the Castle. A little farther away, the sound of barking could be heard in the distance, followed by short trills responding to the call of the landstriders.

Jen’s eyes widened with fear, before shutting with a quiet ferocity. “Why now?” He whispered. His plan was falling apart right before his eyes, and he needed to act quick, or else he’d never hear the end of it from Aughra. 

Straightening his shoulders, Jen ran up to his landstrider as fast as he could, pushing any regrets to the farthest reaches of his mind. He had a job to do.

**XXXX**

Kira frowned as her landstrider approached the entrance to the Castle. There seemed to be a commotion among the gathered landstriders, though the source of their discomfort remained unknown. As they approached, she let out a few sharp calls of reassurance, straining to be heard over the sound of Fizzgig barking.

A group of podlings emerged from the Garthim Tunnel, shouting similar calls at the top of their lungs. Now only a few yards from the landstrider pen, Kira adjusted her ears to one podling in particular, who was shouting at something that wasn’t a landstrider. 

_“Ah! Jen! What are you doing?”_

Her ears flicked up in surprise. “Jen?”

The wooden fencing of the pen suddenly shattered, revealing Jen himself, head down in concentration as the landstrider he sat upon raced at full speed. He had nearly passed her when Kira called out to him, her voice cracking with emotion.

“Jen!”

His landstrider skidded to a halt, stopping just a few feet from hers. The two gelfling stared at each other, Jen looking just as deep into her dark orbs as Kira was into his blue ones. For a moment, nothing was said, until Kira shakily spoke again.

“Where are you going? Are you leaving?” She inquired, confusion made evident by the minute tilt of her head as she asked the question.

Jen exhaled hard, his face like stone, save for his eyes. “Yes.”

Kira felt her body freeze at his words, and she moved to ask another question, one that would hopefully give her answers: _Why?_

The boy seemed to know her question before it even left her lips.

“Kira,” he supplicated, “there…. There are more gelflings, besides the two of us, somewhere out in Thra.”

“Really?”

Jen nodded his head affirmatively. “Yes.” Then, straightening his shoulders, he looked her straight in the eye. “I’m going to find them. I have to, Kira.”

Without thinking, she blurted the next thing that came to mind. “Take me with you! We can find them together.” _Please,_ she added silently. _Say yes._

Jen breathed in sharply, ears flicking in shock. Did he really not expect her to want to go with him? Kira had the sense to feel offended at that, but she supposed that wasn’t fair to Jen. After all, could she say she wouldn’t have done what he just did, if it meant finding more gelfling? No, because, like him, she was prepared to do whatever it took to accomplish that great task.

What she wasn’t prepared for, however, was the hard and curt “no,” from Jen. It shocked her, to be denied this, to be denied by _him,_ of all people. She forced her landstrider to block his, obstructing his view and getting so close that she could reach out and grab him if she wished.

“No? **_No?!_ ** What gives you the right to say that, huh? What gives you the right to do as you please and leave me here by myself?!”

It had been ages since she was this furious with anyone, but at this moment in time, Jen deserved it, and she knew that he knew he deserved it. She continued her verbal assault, jumping back and forth between Gelfling and Podling as her mouth brought to life all of the most horrid insults her mind could think of.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she stopped persisting in her attack, instead choosing to glare at Jen. To his credit, the stoicism of his features remained unchanged, but she knew by the way the light touched his eyes that her words had gotten to him.

“If you really want to know,” the boy said, his voice quiet, “then ask Aughra.”

And with that, Jen moved his landstrider around her, not even bothering to glance in her direction as he passed by. Fizzgig growled at him, only stopping once Jen and his landstrider had disappeared into the trees. Kira stayed where she was, her eyes glued to the spot where she had last seen him. All her excitement from earlier this morning was gone, replaced by a hollow anger and a tiny, miniscule thought that told her she was being abandoned again.

Kira rubbed viciously at her eyes, stopping her tears before they fell. She wouldn’t cry for him. Jen didn’t deserve her tears. 

She clicked her tongue, directing the landstrider to the broken pen, where the podlings had regained partial control of the situation. Dismounting, Kira stepped into the Garthim Tunnel with Fizzgig in her arms, paying no attention to the podlings as they called to her. When Fizzgig let out a soft whine, she set him down in the castle entrance, already focused on a new goal. 

Quickly pacing through the castle halls, Kira followed her memory of its layout until she had reached where Aughra’s temporary room was located. Knocking twice, the young gelfling waited for what seemed like hours before the old woman opened her door to her, the singular eye widening in surprise.

“Ah, back already?” Aughra asked, though it was said as more of a statement. Kira scowled at her.

“Tell me about these other gelflings.” The girl commanded, forcing her way into the room.

**XXXX**

The strange warmth that had eluded her yesterday had reappeared. Just barely, but those few seconds were enough to fully connect with the mind of whatever shared her pain of the blight, and she had discovered some… interesting things about them.

Things that made her _happy._

_He’s alive…._

“Yes…. and he’s coming **_here_ **.”

At last her suffering had paid off.


	4. Arguments

In the thousands of trine she had lived, Aughra did not think she could ever be intimidated by a mere gelfling, but Kira was definitely pushing that theory to its limit.

The girl stood elegantly in the center of Aughra’s quarters, back straight, eyes unmoving, and her wings lifted ever so slightly in a challenging display. From the window the evening light of the Brothers poured through to illuminate the area around her, adorning Kira in an almost heavenly aura, like Thra itself was trying to assist the girl in her mission.

Aughra snorted in light annoyance. It would appear that she was outnumbered.

Kira cleared her throat, signalling her impatience. She spoke to Aughra in a stern tone with such little sympathy that it would’ve put even former Emperor skekSo to shame. “Well? Are you going to tell me or not?”

“So, Noble Kira, you wish to learn of the gelflings as Valiant Jen did, hm?” The old woman replied, answering the girl with a question of her own. Aughra began pacing slowly around Kira, a shrewd look on her face. She too could play the intimidation game.

The young gelfling remained unperturbed, following Aughra with her eyes, but stayed motionless, rooted to her place in the middle of the room. “Yes, I do.”

“For what reason?”

“What do you mean?”

Aughra finished circling around her, her single eye gazing inquisitively. “Why should Aughra tell you? Only told the boy because I had to, and then he ran off to do who knows what! But for what reason does Noble Kira now ask for this knowledge?”

For a second Kira’s armor broke. “Because I have the right to know just as much as Jen does!”

“Why is that? Jealous, maybe?” The old woman inquired. Now the girl was on the defensive.

“No!” Kira shouted, before recovering her composure. She was already losing this argument, and they had just started talking. How could she get an edge in when Aughra was the one holding all the cards?

The old woman continued on. “Aughra can’t show you! You might run off, just like other gelfling! I’m not risking that, Thra as my witness!”

“I promise I won’t leave.” The girl replied, before a small smile ghosted her features. “Not unless I need to, anyway. I… I just want to understand why he did.”

Aughra let out an indignant huff, but relented from adding more fuel to the fire. Groaning, the embodiment of Thra lowered herself to the floor before Kira, looking at the gelfling studiously.

“Some things,” she began, “are better off kept secret. Forgotten, sometimes even by Aughra. However, what I am about to show you,” - here she raised her hand to Kira, inviting her to dreamfast - “is something I cannot allow to happen again. You may be the only thing standing between that boy and certain doom, Noble Kira.”

The girl took a small step back, shocked at Aughra’s sudden reversal of opinion. Moving to sit with the old woman, Kira’s hand moved to close the distance between them, initiating the dreamfast almost instantaneously.

  
  


In a matter of seconds, Aughra recounted the previous night’s events to the gelfling, starting from the point where she had spoken to Jen in the library. From there, Kira saw glimpses of the gift table set up by the Podlings and Jen’s acquisition of some new gelfling artifacts.

What followed afterwards made her feel sick to her stomach, as she watched Jen writhe on the floor in pain and gradually lose consciousness. **_“What happened to him?”_ **She asked, telepathically calling to Aughra through the haze of memories.

**_“You will see soon,”_ **was her only answer.

The dreamfast shifted suddenly, replacing a sleeping Jen with a very much awake one, standing with Aughra in a close approximation of the Crystal Chamber, bathed in a strange white light. **_“The Dream Space.”_ **Aughra said, sensing her curiosity.

Kira simply hummed in understanding, letting herself sink more into Aughra’s memories as the dreamfast continued playing before her…

_Aughra awakened from her slumbering state, feeling the energy coming from her forehead disappear as she severed ties with the Crystal. Lifting her hand away from its surface, she shook her other arm free from Jen’s grasp, startling the boy._

_“Ah, Aughra. Did you find anything?”_

_She tried not to focus on the hopeful look in his eyes or the way his ears moved to greedily await her reply. Instead, Aughra turned her head away from him, trying to think of the best way to inform him of his condition, and of the gelfling responsible for it._

_No, although she felt it in her gut to be true, she couldn’t be absolutely sure of that possibility until_ **_after_ ** _she’d seen whatever Jen had witnessed prior to his seizure. “Switch places with me, gelfling, and place your hand upon the Crystal.”_

_Jen complied, moving towards the shining object with a hungry look in his eyes. Hungry for knowledge, Aughra assumed. When the gelfling had made contact with the Crystal, Aughra set a hand on his shoulder and closed her eyes again, merging with the heart of Thra once more. This time she let Jen’s memories come to the forefront, unraveling the boy’s mind with the skill of a seamstress, weeding out unnecessary information and journeying to the moment just before he lost consciousness the previous night._

**_“Aughra…”_ ** _Jen mumbled, his voice faint in the sea of light._ **_“I can feel that strange ache in my head again. I think the memories are - ah!”_ **

_The clear and pure scenery of the dreamfast with the Crystal suddenly darkened, taking on a deep purple hue. Aughra felt herself become isolated as angry clouds surrounded them and cut her off from the gelfling boy, crackling with the trademark energy of The Darkening._

**_SWOOSH!_ **

_Another shift in the dreamfast rocked the environment around her, making the deadly thunderclouds swirl with a new ferocity as they encircled Aughra. Then, as quickly as they had appeared, the clouds retreated, revealing the image - no, make that several images - of what seemed to be the memories of a gelfling._

_A gelfling that wasn’t Jen or Kira._

_The image of the first memory was hazy, as if it were slowly being forgotten by its owner. It showed nothing but darkness, with only a few patches of a blueish-green light scattered about. The stars, perhaps?_

_The second image was much more clear, displaying what looked to be a small hut in a gelfling village. Though the surrounding area was slightly damaged, the home was untouched, and standing outside it were two figures. The first was of medium height for a gelfling, with dark hair and a sword at their side, while the second was just a bit shorter, with white hair. The latter appeared to be holding a small bundle in its arms._

_The final image was a continuation of the previous one, and the clearest of them all. In it the first figure, a man, was smiling, though it seemed to be a little forced. His hair was ruffled from battle, and beneath his right eye he sported a pinkish-white scar that stretched from the bridge of his nose to his cheek. The second figure, a woman, was staring at her partner with clear, dark eyes, despite the fact that her green skin was marred by small, vein-like scars of her own. In her arms she cradled a newborn childling, who couldn’t have been more than a few weeks old. The infant wriggled out of its cocoon of blankets, revealing dark hair that matched his father’s._

_And now Aughra knew for sure. What she had feared to be the truth was indeed reality. This was Jen’s family, which meant that he now housed a part of The Darkening._

**_“Is… is that me?”_ **

_Aughra turned to find Jen standing beside her, his eyes focused on the image of the couple with an extreme intensity that she couldn’t name. His ears were still, but the corners of his mouth were curved up into a frail smile. Jen gingerly took a few steps closer, and as if responding to him, the images became even clearer. Now it was just like staring through a window, the memories so bright and full of color that one could forget they were seeing them via dreamfast._

_Jen continued walking, reaching out to the image of his parents with trembling hands. Even if they were just memories, those memories were_ **_real;_ ** _they were real, and_ **_whole,_ ** _and after all this time he could finally reunite with them, here and now._

_Jen’s hands made contact with the memory……_

  
  


….Aughra ended the dreamfast there, cutting Kira off from seeing whatever happened next. With a small gasp the female gelfling retracted her hand from Aughra’s grip, staring at her palm for a few moments, facial features idle, but eyes alight with wonder.

After five minutes Kira dropped her hand back to her side, tilting her head to the side as she fixed her attention on Aughra. “Why did I hear Jen’s thoughts at the end? When his… his family appeared?”

“It was a recounting of a dreamfast through a dreamfast.” The old woman replied. “What you saw and felt, Aughra felt. Had to stop it there, though. Far too personal to simply be of the mind, more than likely it came from the heart.”

Kira shot up from her spot on the floor. “What happened after that?”

“Soon after Valiant Jen saw his parents, the dreamfast came to a close. Not even Aughra can last long submerged within the vast consciousness of Thra!”

“But what about that dark power inside of Jen?! The Darkening?” Kira persisted, her wings flapping responsively to her emotions. She was just about ready to leave and chase after the boy herself, but before that she needed to hear what Aughra had to say.

The embodiment of Thra rose from her crouching position and removed her eye from its socket. Aughra wiped the detached orb on her clothes to clean it, but responded to Kira nonetheless. 

“Before he ran off I had informed him of his condition, and how it had been carried over to him from his mother. Hmph! Ordered him to stay in the library I did, until Aughra could figure out a solution to this delicate problem, but does gelfling listen? No! Instead gelfling sneaks away and flees on a gangly landstrider! Only means more trouble for everyone! Hmph!”

“But Aughra,” Kira queried, “where exactly is he going?” 

Jen had told her he was going to find the other gelfling and bring them back. Could he have meant his parents? And if they were alive, was there a likely chance that more gelfling were too, hidden away in the outer reaches of Thra?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a withered hand resting on her shoulder. Kira looked into the face of Aughra, watched as her wrinkled brow softened and her lips turned into a small frown. 

“I don’t know.” The old woman said gravely. “But you, Kira, you must find him. Right now he distrusts Aughra, but he trusts you. Cares for you! If you told him to come back, that boy will not disregard what you have to say. You can convince him to return, Kira!”

“But… but what about his family? And the other gelfling?”

Aughra shook her head in dismay. “Can’t be sure of other gelflings. You saw what happened in the dreamfast; you know just as much as Aughra that if Valiant Jen reaches his mother, then his very life might be in danger.”

Kira swallowed nervously, but nodded in the affirmative. 

“I’ll find him.” She said, and she meant it.

**XXXX**

The arrow flew forward, sailing through the air before hitting the tree with a loud **_thwack!_ **The string of his bow jarred slightly after release, but steadied itself quickly, becoming motionless again in moments. 

His eyes followed the line of trajectory back to the tree, where a target made of stray plant life was fixed in place on its surface. The arrow he had shot was lodged below, not even scratching the edge of the makeshift target.

His aim was off today. 

“Strange. You never miss, Songteller.” 

He turned to see his comrade, a male gelfling nearly fifteen trine his junior, marching up the path with a grin. In his right hand - the only one that remained - he carried a short spear, decorated with symbols belonging to the Grottan clan. Despite his disability, the gelfling was cheerful, smiling at him with light shining in his dark eyes.

The one known as the Songteller simply smiled at the young Grottan and readied another arrow. Drawing it back, he breathed in and out at a steady rhythm, then let go. This time the arrow hit its mark dead center.

The Songteller glanced back to his friend, feeling satisfied when he saw the grin from earlier was wiped off his face. “Sometimes I miss, sometimes I don’t.”

The Grottan snorted at his remark, shifting his grip on the spear and planting his feet in a throwing stance. With a quick intake of breath the young gelfling launched the spear, sending it flying towards the tree in a spiral motion. When it made contact it shattered the shaft of the Songteller’s arrow and kept pushing through the target until it had made its way out on the other side of the tree, the blade barely poking through the bark.

“You may miss every now and again,” the younger gelfling said, “but I always find my mark.” He threw his head back and laughed as the Songteller strode over to the tree to remove the undamaged arrow, reveling in his victory. Then with a frown, he spoke again. “Although, now I have to figure out how to remove that thing from the tree with only one arm. Huh.”

Now the Songteller chuckled. “Well, then let’s call it a draw, shall we?”

“Fine by me.”

Forgetting the weapon for a spell, the Grottan lowered himself into a crouch and clutched at the waterskin at his side. When his thirst was satisfied he tossed the skin to the Songteller, then occupied himself with the trinket that hung around his neck.

The older of the two gelflings watched as his companion played with the keepsake. It was kept secure around the Grottan’s neck by a cord, hanging on the end by a small clip that was fed through a hole in the wood. The trinket itself was round in shape, with a divot cut in the center to make a hole similar to a mouth. Extending from the wooden head by splitting fibers of material were two pairs of makeshift eyes that weighed down heavy on their strings, hanging loosely around the head. They were called nurlocs, weren’t they?

The Songteller took another sip of water. “How long have you kept that thing?”

The Grottan looked up at him, his features pulled taught in nostalgia. “It’s a hand-me-down from my sister. She had it for years, and when I was born she gave it to me.” He smiled then, no doubt thinking of simpler times. “Even though I was only a few trine old, I remember her teaching me how to play with my toys the correct way, without breaking them. Deet was always kind like that, trying to teach other people how to act more harmoniously.”

“Yes,” the Songteller replied, “I suppose that’s why Aughra gave her the title of Gentle.”

The younger gelfling nodded in agreement. “Yes. She was gentle. I… I wish that version of Deet was still here with us.”

The Songteller said nothing, but listened as the Grottan continued.

“I miss my sister. Or at least, how she used to be…” He said, closing his eyes in thought. In his right hand he gripped the head of the nurloc toy tightly, knuckles going white as he did so. “But that thing that’s dying in the cave, that thing she’s become? That is not my sister, not anymore. As far as I’m concerned, she died when Stone-in-the-Wood fell to the Skeksis, when we lost my nephew and brother-in-law.”

“I think we all died a little after we lost Jen and Rian.” The Songteller sternly interjected, but the firmness in his voice was gone when next he spoke. “Some more so than others…”

“Yeah right. What are you, the expert on death?” The younger gelfling irritably remarked, but the color in his face seemed to drain away once he saw the Songteller was looking at his left braid, the one with the white hair weaved into it.

The Grottan realized his mistake and shot to his feet, bowing his head in apology. “I’m sorry, Kylan! I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s alright. We’re just a little tired, you and I.” The Songteller said, emptying the waterskin and tossing it back to the Grottan. “...Just a little tired, nothing more.”

“Kylan, I-”

“Bobb’N, drop it.” 

The Songteller said nothing as he gathered his things and started down the path, leaving the younger gelfling behind. Right now he craved nothing but a deep, restful sleep, the kind where one could hope to remain all but dead as they laid down to rest. 

That was how he felt at this moment, as he passed the other gelfling who were looking at him quizzically. He was all but dead, and he had to keep on living, even if he hated it. If it wasn’t so pathetic he would find it humorous that he was now living the same way as the ancient Mystics. Day in and day out, practicing the same, monotonous routine until that hopeful day when he would finally be able to leave this world behind.

It disgusted him how far he had fallen. Didn’t _he_ used to be the optimistic one?

“Times change,” he said to no one in particular. “People change.”

When he finally reached his home the Songteller slammed the door shut and did not come out for another whole day. Although, at the times between when the suns set and the moons rose, one could hear the long, sad notes of a firca emanating from within the cottage, a testament to his own hopelessness.

_Because all hope I had for the future died with Brea._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this was my least favorite chapter to write so far. I had a bit of trouble trying to write the "dreamfast of a dreamfast" scene in a way that was coherent, and it kinda sucked away any momentum I had, so I apologize if this chapter was lackluster towards the end. 
> 
> Besides that, I've got part of the next chapter started already, though it might take awhile, since I want to try and make up for this chapter.
> 
> Anyways, thank you guys for reading and I hope you have a good day.


	5. The Travel & The Chase

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot of plot progression in this chapter, but it does dive a little more into Jen's connection with The Darkening.  
> Hope you enjoy.

Three days had passed since his escape into the Endless Forest, and despite his misgivings of leaving Kira behind, Jen was completely focused on the task ahead. The landstrider he rode - after much consideration, he had given her the name Rezu - did an excellent job at barrelling through the low underbrush and weaving in and out of any trees blocking their path. However, mindful of her health and of his own stomach, Jen had stopped them in a small alcove hidden among the trees, where they could easily access water from the creek and any edible plants that grew in the area.

Now, as he stooped low to refill their water canteen, Jen took in the slight changes in his appearance since they had left the Castle. It seemed that he was going through another bout with puberty, as evidenced by the miniscule amount of stubble that dotted his chin and jawline, which prickled his fingers when he touched it. His hair was longer too, though only by about another half-inch. The dark parts of his hair had turned a shade darker due to the exposing light of the triple suns, while the few white streaks had doubled in their brightness. Jen combed his hands through his scalp curiously. It was rare for that to happen; the last time his hair had changed like this had been two trine ago, when he had reached his eighteenth Life Day. 

“Interesting,” the boy marveled. “But Master always did say I had unique hair, even for a gelfling.”

A dismayed grunt from behind made Jen turn around, smiling as he saw Rezu approaching him. She stamped the ground with her left foreleg, signalling her need for water. With a small groan, Jen rose from his position on the creek bank and walked over, pouring water into his cupped hand and then raising it to the landstrider’s lips. When the water was gone from his hand, he repeated the process. 

As Rezu enjoyed her refreshment, Jen scanned the alcove for something to eat, ears flicking in idle thought as he conjured up possible ideas for lunch. Even with the flint he had for making fires, the gelfling doubted he could make anything close to what the podlings had made while he stayed at the Castle. There was no way he would be able to take out a nebrie calf, nevermind a fully grown adult. 

Thrushpogs were out too. From what he’d studied about them in the library, they were all connected, and killing one would inflict insurmountable damage on the rest. Jen would rather not have to go through with that.

Maybe there was something else?

A scampering ball of fur nearby made him change his mind. “No, I don’t think Fizzgig would take too kindly to the idea of me eating one of his kind. I don’t think I _could,_ anyway.” The gelfling said aloud. Rezu let out another grunt, agreeing with him.

“I guess we’re eating vegetables, then.”

Roughly a half-hour later, after collecting everything that looked or smelled easily digestible, Jen began on the fire. Rezu lay a few feet away, dozing lightly.

Working the flint against the back edge of his knife, Jen practically screamed his victory as the small sparks finally started to light the wood he had gathered. Replacing the flint to the breast pocket of his coat, the gelfling turned his attention to a large, nut-like fruit that sat at the base of the mountain of collected vegetables. Steadying the thing with one hand, Jen used the knife to jab at its side, hoping to pry it open and use the two halves as serving bowls.

The fruit cracked open with a loud pop that lightly shook Rezu from her slumber. Inside there were numerous seed pods, which Jen removed by scooping them out with his hand. Now successfully hollowed out, Jen set the makeshift bowls aside, and began on dicing and mashing the other vegetables. Once he had done so, the gelfling filled each bowl to the brim, adding some water from the canteen in order to make a sort of cold paste. 

By using twigs and other small pieces of wood, Jen erected a grate which sat above the fire. Setting the bowls over the heat, he waited, lightly stirring the mix with a spoon he had stolen from the Castle kitchen. When he had waited a suitable amount of time, Jen removed the bowls from over the fire and strode over to Rezu’s location, careful not to spill any on himself. 

“There you go,” Jen said, placing the bowl in front of the landstrider. “Enjoy.”

Rezu repositioned herself into a low crouch, using her long tongue to lap up the paste. The landstrider then let out a happy whine, and began consuming the mix even faster.

“You like it?” Jen asked, amused at her reaction. “It’s Mystic food. I learned from urAmaj, the Cook. Although, unlike him, I like my meals warm.” The gelfling took a bite, using the same spoon from earlier, but frowned as another thought occurred to him.

“You know, I never really appreciated the other Masters enough.” Jen said, his words falling on deaf ears as Rezu continued eating. “I always kept the closest to urSu, my guardian, and the wisest of all the Mystics. I suppose it was because I always felt so outnumbered, what with being the only gelfling and all that. But even then, they all still loved me, even when I tried pushing them away.” Jen sighed longingly, forgetting his meal and laying back against the grass. 

“I wish that I could’ve shown them _then,_ just how much I appreciate them _now.”_

The gelfling let his eyes close, falling into a light sleep. The cooking fire would continue giving off warmth for the rest of the afternoon, until Jen woke up and they would begin moving again, with the Three Sisters lighting their way.

**XXXX**

It was easy to pick up Jen’s trail, especially since he was making no effort to conceal it. He was steadily heading North, towards the Claw Mountains, and had only stopped to make two campfires in the last couple of days. The one in front of her now was still lightly smoldering in the wind, giving off a thin smoke that stung at the eyes, but it was a sign that she was catching up.

Kira sighed, frowning as she poured some water on the wood and remounted her landstrider. Fizzgig whined at her from his place in her lap, worried. The girl hadn’t slept well the last few nights, and had woken up this morning in a rather bleak mood.

“Remember what Aughra said: when you find him, don’t rile him up. The Darkening reacts to emotions. Stay calm, and he’ll stay calm. Get Jen back in one piece.” Kira listed out loud, using the orders as her own personal mantra. 

The gelfling felt herself begin to relax, before she readjusted her posture and clicked an order to the landstrider. “Come on, Seppa. We’re close!”

Both Fizzgig and the taller animal grunted in the affirmative, and the pursuit began once again. Bolting at full speed, Seppa dogged the path of the other landstrider with a close eye, Kira correcting him where necessary. After a few hours Seppa began to slow again once the surface of the terrain shifted from solid grass to a more muddy consistency. The tracks of Jen’s landstrider were also closer together in terms of distance, which meant he had had to slow down as well.

With a flashing grin, Kira urged Seppa to go forward, her eyes scanning their environment with a fierce glow. Fizzgig sniffed the air curiously, and let out a sharp bark when he picked up a strong scent. Kira hushed him, but scratched behind his ears affectionately, showing that she understood. As quietly as they could, they maneuvered through the mud, Seppa using his long forelegs to test the ground before moving forward again. 

A stray insect skittered across the mud in front of them, letting out a low hum as it went by. The noise seemed to reverberate in Kira’s ears as they moved, and she shook her head wildly, hoping to dismiss it. While she was occupied she failed to see the dead tree branch in front of them, just barely sticking out of the mud. Seppa’s right leg came down on the wood limb, eliciting a loud crack that resounded through the rest of the forest. Kira flinched at the sound, startled, but kept her eyes trained on their surroundings, watching for any suspicious movements.

Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she was about to motion for Seppa to continue, before a streak of white flashed through Kira’s line of sight and disappeared into the trees again. The girl’s ears went back in surprise.

Only landstriders moved that fast on solid ground.

Kira smiled competitively. Jen thought he could outrun her. He was wrong. “Let’s go!” She commanded. 

Seppa obliged her, quickly cutting through the mud and heading in the direction of where she had seen the other landstrider run off. Within minutes they were picking up the trail again, and Kira let Fizzgig bark to his heart’s content. The little ball of fur was noticeably aggravated, with his teeth bared in an aggressive manner that was rare for him to display. 

“I’m going to have to hold you back, aren’t I?” Kira said knowingly, to which Fizzgig let out another wicked bark. She simply pet him in a soothing manner, hoping to quell his anger before they caught up to Jen, otherwise the boy would be helpless against the furry animal. If Jen thought Fizzgig didn’t like him before, then he was going to be in for a big surprise.

But that was nothing compared to what _she_ was going to do to him.

After another five minutes of pursuit, the white hide of the landstrider was becoming visible through the green foliage, shining like a beacon in the early morning sunlight. They were catching up! Reaching into the bag where she kept their supplies, Kira produced a bola and began swinging it around in preparation for the catch. Seppa neared closer to the landstrider, then nearer again. 

“Almost there!” Kira cried, urging him on.

With a loud grunt, Seppa charged forward, closing the distance and coming right beside the target. Kira swung her bola, and watched as the weighted cord spun forward at a relentless velocity, only to hit… nothing?

Kira’s jaw dropped open. She was so caught up in the chase and the rush of adrenaline that she hadn’t even noticed the obvious lack of a rider on the animal. Pulling Seppa close to the other landstrider, Kira jumped, transferring herself from one to the other. Tugging lightly on the white fur, she forced the creature to slow down, and rubbed its neck comfortingly with her hand as it panted from exhaustion.

Kira inhaled and exhaled harshly; the adrenaline rush had died down, and now she was feeling a strange pull on her eyelids, no doubt from her lack of good sleep in the past few days. But she couldn’t rest, not now. Not yet.

Turning both landstriders around, the gelfling transferred back to Seppa, with the other one following close behind. Sighing, the girl straightened her posture again, eyes going dark with determination.

“Get ready, Jen.” She whispered challengingly. “Here I come.”

**XXXX**

As stealthily as he could, Jen picked his way through the many bushes of the Endless Forest, his ears swiveling around in a state of alertness. It seemed to appear that although Kira was the better tracker, he had the advantage when it came to hearing ability. 

Jen had already been on edge when he and Rezu were slowed down by the mud, and the sound of Fizzgig’s barking close behind them only made it easier for him to dismount and send the landstrider along as a distraction while he continued on. By his estimations, Rezu had probably bought him another half a day. From now on Kira would have to care for not one, but _two_ landstriders as she trailed him, as well as Fizzgig and herself.

 _Hopefully after a few hours of that she’ll get fed up and return to the Castle,_ Jen thought, a shallow grin plastering itself onto his face. _Then I’ll have all the time I need to find the others._

Thankfully he was now back on stable terrain, which meant that unless a storm broke out or any dangerous animals made themselves known, the gelfling could move at a brisk pace, so long as Kira didn’t find him. For now, anyway, he was safe, and Jen was determined to not let the opportunity go to waste.

The First Brother was climbing high into the clouds now, illuminating the environment in a patchwork of light and shadow. Small animals and mobile plant life scurried out of his way as he passed, allowing Jen to push on almost effortlessly through the Endless Forest, only stopping at short intervals for water and to relieve himself.

He knew from the position of the heavens that he was going North, using the Black River as a guiding landmark. But even if he couldn’t tell by the sky, he would have no need for a map. Since the revelation granted to him by the dreamfast with Aughra and the Crystal, a strange sort of homing instinct (a kind of voice, maybe?) had come into existence, telling - no, _commanding_ him where to go and which routes to take, which bodies of water to use for refilling his canteen, where to properly set up a campfire when he stopped to rest. Even now, as he traversed the land with cautious footsteps, the mysterious utterance explained to the gelfling the various creatures that surrounded him and their many intricacies. And Jen loved every second of it.

He had always considered himself a curious person, but his tendency of demanding information had gradually dulled as he grew up within the Valley of the urRu, and his hunger for knowledge had been satiated there. Now, however, travelling in this strange yet familiar world, his old quirks began to show themselves again, and he absorbed the information provided by the voice in a greedy manner, mentally demanding more even as he pressed forward in his journey.

A small part of him wondered how this little voice was so knowledgeable when it came to the flora and fauna of Thra, but Jen didn’t ponder it for long. The last two months of his life had been rather strange in comparison to the idyllic lifestyle he had grown accustomed to as a child, so was he really that surprised by this? No, not really. Another part of him - the rare, confident side of his personality - noted the mysterious familiarity of the voice, as well as the fact that it seemed to emanate from the same spot where he had the troublesome headaches occurred before, at the base of his skull.

“The Darkening.” Jen said, and the soft ache near his heart seemed to grow just a little bigger. _“Mother.”_

The gelfling palmed the back of his head, stopping in his movements as he let himself spiral down into deep thought. Was he taking too much of a chance with this quest? Did he really have the capability to actually _find_ other gelfling, especially ones that didn’t want to be found? And if he did find them, would they willingly return with him to the Castle, where so many of their own had met their end?

Was he making a mistake?

Jen felt a pulse at the back of his head. It wasn’t malicious, but it was definitely trying to get him to move again, and at the same time the small aching in his chest expanded by the slightest amount.

The boy sighed reluctantly, before continuing on the path. “Too late to go back now.”

Four hours. He had been walking for four whole hours without stopping, and now he needed to rest. In that short span of time, the strange pulsing had doubled its intensity, as if reminding Jen that he had to keep moving. And for four whole hours, the gelfling complied, but now he was tired, and required rest. The day had gone and passed in the blink of an eye, and now the suns were closing in on the horizon, leaving the Endless Forest in a state of near-complete darkness.

Jen trudged on, tiredly scanning for a suitable place to rest. The temperature had dropped by a few degrees as a result of going North, and the gelfling pulled his coat tighter around his body in an effort to stay warm. A strong wind had also picked up, which killed any chance of starting a fire, so he’d have to make do without for tonight.

Spying a group of semi-comfortable-looking rocks, Jen hurried over, dropping to his knees and rubbing his hands together to warm them. Using his knife, he cut some tall grass from the forest floor, bundling it up and laying it on the rocks in an effort to make a pillow. Unfortunately the “pillow” wasn’t much in terms of strength, and collapsed under the weight of Jen’s head, but it limited the cold of the rocks, so he kept it.

The feeling at the base of his skull had calmed down some, just enough to resemble a light headache again. Closing his eyes and hugging himself for warmth, Jen focused on trying to go to sleep, but was disappointed when the headache devolved again, then forcibly pried his mind open, dragging him into a dreamfast.

The world was blank, nothing but darkness.

_“...Jen.”_

Someone was calling his name.

_“...Jen.”_

“Mother?!”

Silence, followed by the sound of strained breathing. He felt panic rise up within him.

“Mother, what’s wrong? Why can’t I see you?”

More silence. Then, from the depths of the void, a scared whisper.

_“Because I don’t want you to see me.”_

Now he felt confusion, and hints of sadness, but from whom? The whisper called to him again, sounding a bit stressed in its delivery.

_“I just want to talk. I… I want to hear your voice.”_

The confusion within him settled, replaced by a feeling of warmth. Of happiness.

“Okay, let’s talk.”

_“Are you alright?”_

“Yes, I’m fine. I was a bit cold before this, but I’m okay now.”

_“That’s good… very good, but I sense… worry?”_

The panic returned, and the warmth faded ever so little.

“I… I am a little worried, yes.”

_“What about?”_

More panic, followed by embarrassment. In the wells of the darkness, his mother laughed, and despite his discomfort, he felt the sound wash over him gleefully.

_“Are you worried about a girl?”_

“No! Yes, but… I don’t know?”

_“What’s her name?”_

“Kira.”

_“Kira?”_

He could feel a flare of recognition at the name, but before he could say anything, she moved on to the next topic. Feelings of sorrow preceded her words, and Jen instinctively knew what it would be about.

_“I’m so sorry, Jen.”_

“About what?”

_“...About everything. The war, the Skeksis, The Darkening-”_

“None of that was your fault!”

Indignation boiled within him, raging like a fire in a dead forest. From the darkness his mother responded, her voice sounding less strained and slightly healthier.

_“Maybe, but I’m still sorry, all the same. You didn’t deserve to live in such a time of turmoil.”_

Her words passed over Jen like a strong wave, soothing his hard anger with a healing touch. The feeling of warmth returned, stronger than before. Jen laughed, confusing his mother.

_“What’s so funny?”_

“I was just thinking about your voice. You have a funny accent.”

She laughed with him, though it was for a different reason.

_“Silly skybaby! You’re the one with the accent. All gelflings sound like me!”_

“Skybaby? What does that mean?”

For a few seconds Jen felt nostalgic as his mother recalled a distant memory.

_“It was a nickname I used to tease your father. He was a proud man, but enjoyed small bursts of humor every once in a while.”_

Jen inhaled sharply, feeling guilty. He was so invested in the connection between himself and his mother that he had forgotten all about his father.

“Is he…?”

_“No, he’s…. He’s returned to Thra for a very long time now.”_

Jen hummed in understanding, before he felt a strange pull from outside of the dreamfast. His mother seemed to feel it too, judging by the sensations of confusion and regret that poured into him from the void. **_The Darkening._ **

_“It looks like our time here has come to an end.”_

The panic reappeared with a vengeance, and with it a strong sense of desperation to stay in the dreamfast. The feeling of warmth was fading away fast. His mother was fading along with it.

“Wait, mother! Don’t go! Please!”

He could feel her presence drifting farther away. She couldn’t go yet, he still wanted to talk! In a final act of hope, he screamed out his last plea.

“At least tell me your names! What are the names of my parents?!”

Silence reigned as his words echoed through the void, reminding him that he was now alone again. The darkness lapsed into a flash of white, and then it was over. The dreamfast had ended.

Jen awoke with a start, shaking his head to rid himself of all drowsiness. He moved to sit up, but a weight against his chest prevented him. Looking down, the gelfling almost gasped at what he saw.

Kira was slumped against him, her head resting on his shoulder. As innocent as it looked, she was effectively holding him down. When Jen tried to lift a hand to move her, he found he couldn’t, and was surprised to find his hands tied together, wrapped tightly around with a bola. At his feet Fizzgig was positioned to prevent his escape; the frizzy ball of fur had already clamped down on Jen’s left foot, snoring lightly as his teeth dug into the leather of the boot.

Taking care not to jostle the other gelfling laying on him, Jen lifted his head to see both Rezu and another landstrider laying on either side of them, cradling both gelflings in between two walls of white fur. The landstriders blocked the wind, lessening the cold he felt, and whatever was left was being melted away by Kira’s own body heat.

Realizing their current position and proximity to each other, Jen’s ears dipped down nervously, and he could feel his heartbeat quickening ever so slightly. With a quiet sigh, Jen laid his head back on the rocks, closing his eyes reluctantly. 

He had been caught.

 _If only it wasn’t for that dreamfast,_ he thought, before thinking better of it. Even if he was captured now, at least he had made a decent effort, and he had at least been able to speak with Deet before Kira had caught up to him.

Wait a minute. Deet?

Cracking his eyes open again, Jen thought over the last few moments where he had spoken to his mother. The Darkening had ripped her away from him, but could she have heard his request?

A warmth settled into Jen’s chest, and he closed his eyes again, content. He knew the names of his parents. _Rian and Deet._

He fell asleep as peacefully as he could, with dreams of his family.

**XXXX**

Kira relaxed as she felt Jen ease back to sleep. She had been watching him closely since they had caught up to him, waiting for him to wake up. Due to his sleeping state, it had been rather easy to tie his hands and confiscate the knife hidden inside his coat. The only thing she hadn’t taken was Jen’s firca and the small amount of flint that he carried in his coat pocket. He wouldn’t be able to escape using either of those things.

Admittedly, their current sleeping arrangement had been done to conserve heat due to the lower temperatures, but she would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy snuggling up to people in the middle of the night. The fact that Jen could no longer move had been more of an accident than anything else, but if it helped keep him from escaping again, then so be it. 

He was also very warm, which didn’t hurt. 

Sleep tugged at her mind, and Kira let herself fall into a state of unconsciousness. Tomorrow, they would start back for the Castle, and Jen would be kept in isolation until Aughra could figure out how best to deal with The Darkening.

But for now, it was time to rest. Tomorrow’s problems could wait.


	6. A Change in Atmosphere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I think this is the longest chapter so far.  
> As always, I hope you enjoy.

Growing up with a severed left arm, Bobb’N knew very well of the assumptions people would make of him without knowing him very well. Even the nicest of gelflings had the habit of being a bit close-minded around him, often offering to “lend a hand” whenever they thought he needed it. As a childling he had accepted the help, however patronizing, because it helped dispel the images of the Garthim claw from his nightmares and gave him something else to focus his attention on.

However, now that he was twenty-eight trine in age, Bobb’N was far more than capable of doing on a regular basis what some gelfling with both hands struggled to accomplish. He had learned how to forage for food in the wild, swim, paint, write, and even successfully fathered a child with his mate, with another on the way.

Most importantly, he had learned to fight. He was almost unstoppable when wielding a short spear, and had garnered a sizable reputation among his peers as one of the most ferocious warriors in the war, earning him the nickname of “The One-Armed Garthim Slayer.” Because of this, when the older soldiers retired or were put out of action, Bobb’N was one of the first candidates to be chosen to train new recruits. According to his superiors, he had a charming demeanor that prevented recruits from ever holding a grudge against him, even after being flattened against the ground in the training areas.

At this moment, one poor recruit was learning exactly what that felt like.

Bobb’N swept his leg back, knocking the male Drenchen into the dirt and holding the shaft of his spear against the younger gelfling’s throat. The recruit tapped out instantly, gasping for breath as he was helped up and guided back into formation. Bobb’N stood straight, lightly tapping the end of his spear on the ground as he looked upon the soldiers-to-be. A sly grin was plastered on his face.

“That was fun! He’s lasted the longest so far.” He said, nodding in the direction of the younger Drenchen, who was still coughing lightly. “Would anyone else like to give it a shot?”

No one spoke up from the gathered numbers, and the grin fell from Bobb’N’s features. Biting his lip in slight dismay, he waved his spear in the air, speaking again.

“Okay, I guess not.” He addressed, pacing in front of them. He set the spear on his shoulder and smiled. “We’ll take a small break for now, but meet back here within the hour. You’ll be starting the endurance tests today. Dismissed!”

The soldiers gave a sharp salute and a hearty “sir, yes sir,” then promptly dispersed from the training grounds, leaving Bobb’N by himself. The Grottan pressed his palm to his spine and leaned back, groaning when he heard the light crack of his tired bones. 

“You know that if you keep doing that, you’re more likely to hurt yourself in old age?”

The sweet, tender voice made him smile, and he turned to see a female Dousan holding a small toddler approaching him. Her hair was a beautiful oak color, framing her tattooed face in soft curls. The childling in her arms sported the same color hair, with white streaks braided back along with brown. The toddler’s skin was pale green in color, and as they neared closer to Bobb’N he could see the dark, watery eyes light up when they landed on him.

“Da! Da!” The little girl squeaked, trying to close the gap between them by scrambling out of her mother’s arms. The Dousan woman passed her off to Bobb’N before she could fall, taking care not to jostle her swelling stomach.

Once in his hold, the Grottan blew a raspberry into the childling’s ear, making her squeal with laughter. Bobb’N laughed as well, pulling his daughter closer to his chest as his wife embraced him. “Why are you two here? I thought you were helping the florists plant their gardens today?”

The Dousan woman smiled. “We did, but there was less work than we originally thought. But Yvenna here was a very big help, weren’t you sweety?”

The little girl in his arms nodded happily, staring directly up at Bobb’N. “Uh huh! Flowers are pretty. Da like flowers?”

Bobb’N could feel his heart melting in his chest. This girl would surely be the death of him, she was so adorable. Realizing he hadn’t answered her yet, he hummed in the affirmative. “Da likes flowers very much. But do you know what I love more than flowers?”

His daughter blinked her eyes, confused. “No, what izzit?”

He pulled her closer so that only she could hear him. “You.” He whispered, an amused smile crossing his features as the dark little eyes widened in surprise.

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

With another happy squeal the girl turned back to her mother, shouting like she had just been told where to find buried treasure. “Mama, Da says he love me more than flowers!” 

“I know, baby. We both do.” 

“Really?”

“Yes, really.” His wife exhaled roughly then, rubbing her stomach with her hand. 

Bobb’N raised a concerned eyebrow. “Lori? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, it was just a strong kick, that’s all. No worries.” She responded, wincing in discomfort. “Your son is getting restless.”

A cheeky smile pushed its way to Bobb’N’s face. “Hey, now,” he said, “we agreed that we wouldn’t try to find out the gender of the baby until they were born. What makes you so sure that it’s a boy?”

“Too much movement. When Yvenna was inside me, I could rest knowing that I had a patient chidling coming, but this one is about as tame as the sands of the Crystal Desert. Definitely a boy.”

The Grottan laughed at his wife’s remark, readjusting his hold on Yvenna so that she rested on his hip. “So just because the chiliding likes to move around, it’s a boy?”

The Dousan smiled at him. Thra, did he love her smile. “Well, considering who the father is,” she replied, hands on her hips, “I would say that being impatient is a strictly male characteristic in your family.”

Bobb’N pressed his lips into a firm pout, making his daughter laugh. “I’m not going to dignify that completely untrue statement with a response.” Then he smiled again. “Whether it’s a boy or a girl, I’ll be happy. Can you say the same?” He countered, smirking again as his wife turned her nose up in mock offense. He always knew just what to say to sway a playful argument like this to his favor.

Before the Dousan woman could fire back, heavy footfalls approached their position, crunching the dirt with a purposeful determination. Bobb’N spun around by 180 degrees to see a distraught Spriton musician with a bow slung over his shoulder, a quiver full of arrows hanging loosely off his back. One of the traditional braids had been undone and rebraided back into his scalp, while the left braid remained undisturbed, the white fibers weaved into it shining in the light of the Three Brothers.

Kylan strode over to them, halting his approach when he was a few feet away. He swallowed thickly, as if in thought, before opening his mouth to speak. “Bobb’N,” he said, before nodding to the Dousan and the childling as well, “Lorinau, Yvenna. Hello.”

Behind him Bobb’N heard his wife snort indifferently, and he inwardly cringed. _That’s right,_ he thought with a wince, _I forgot they didn’t like each other. Well, Lori doesn’t like him, but still._ Regaining his courage, the Grottan took a step forward, addressing the Songteller with a friendly, open tone. “Kylan! To what do we owe the pleasure?”

He hoped his obvious positivity would offset the awkward atmosphere created by his wife. Bobb’N didn’t know exactly why things between the two were as they were, but if he had to guess, it probably had to do with Kylan’s habit of showing up unannounced and whisking him away from his family to assist in mediocre busywork. Just like now.

The Spriton sat quiet for a moment, glancing around the empty training grounds with a wary eye. With no one seemingly listening in, Kylan spoke again, his voice just barely loud enough for Bobb’N to catch his message with his sensitive ears. 

“It’s about your sister. Something’s happening.”

Bobb’N’s eyes widened in surprise. Was something wrong with Deet? Perhaps she had finally reached her limit with the Darkening, and was perishing right now, at this moment? He hated that he hoped for that outcome to be true.

“Da? You have a sister?” A small voice questioned him from below.

Panicked, he turned to find Yvenna on the ground hugging his legs. When had he set her down? No, that didn’t matter, the problem right now was that she had also heard Kylan’s message. The message about someone she didn’t even know existed.

“What’s going on?” Lori yelled, waddling over to stand over their daughter protectively. She looked up at the Grottan, endless questions in her eyes, along with something else - probably irritation at Kylan’s continued presence. “Bobb’N?”

He clenched and unclenched his right hand nervously, feeling the moisture in his palm transfer to his fingertips as he did so. Looking between his family and Kylan, Bobb’N sighed tiredly. Today had been such a good day, too. Crouching down to be eye level with his daughter, Bobb’N took her little hand into his own, kissing her knuckles affectionately. “Hey,” he said, “Daddy’s going to visit with Kylan for a little bit, and then he’ll be back to play with you, okay?”

The little girl smiled, but her dark eyes seemed to communicate an unknown feeling to him, something that she probably didn’t even realize she was projecting. Disappointment, maybe? But then she snaked her tiny arms around his neck in a hug, and Bobb’N knew that - to some degree, at least - she understood that he was doing something that was important to him. Bobb’N picked her up with his one strong arm and transferred her to her mother’s hold, where he had a similar, unspoken conversation with Lori. Afterwards he picked up his short spear from its place on the ground and walked over to Kylan, and together they set off for the isolated mountain cave that held his sister. What was left of her, at least.

Bobb’N’s dismay must have shown on his features, because the Spriton turned to him with his head bowed in an apologetic manner. “I’m sorry for having to pull you away from them like that, but this couldn’t wait.” Despite the sincerity of the words, Bobb’N couldn’t help but feel that Kylan was apologizing more out of an obligatory sense than out of genuine guilt.

“It’s fine.” The Grottan replied, quickening his pace. “Just tell me what’s wrong.”

Kylan nodded, falling into step with him. As they made their way up the mountain path, the Spriton spoke in an even tone, though the way his voice seemed to waver at the end of his sentences was concerning to Bobb’N.

“I had gone to the cave about an hour ago to give her some food and water. When I got there, she had been convulsing and writhing on the ground, like some sort of wounded animal. At first I assumed that she was finally returning to Thra, but…”

“But what?” Bobb’N questioned, urging him on. For being one who was so well acquainted with words, it seemed that the Songteller was struggling today.

Kylan seemed to regain his voice, but confusion was evident in his tone. “She… she was talking to herself… but at the same time, she wasn’t. It wasn’t the usual mumblings that we’ve heard the last couple of trine, but actual words. There was some sort of a conversation going on, Bobb’N.”

“Conversation? With who?”

“That’s just it, I don’t know! But… she kept saying a single name, after I arrived. She just kept repeating a single name.”

Bobb’N stopped in his tracks, bringing their journey to a halt. Looking at Kylan with an unamused expression, but inside he was just as confused as the Spriton. “A name?”

Kylan stopped short as well, staring into the Grottan’s eyes. Like his short communications with his wife and daughter just a few minutes before, Bobb’N was able to read his gaze and felt a chill of dread at what the Songteller meant. “No,” he said defiantly, taking a step back, “that’s not possible. My nephew’s dead.”

“I’m not saying that he isn’t. But that’s the name she kept repeating.” Kylan stated matter-of-factly. Then his gaze dropped to the dirt under his feet. “I didn’t believe it either, so… I tried dreamfasting with her, just to make sure.”

**_“WHAT!”_ **Bobb’N cried, shocked that a gelfling as cautious as Kylan had become would risk such a dangerous feat. “You know just as well as I do how much of a gamble that is! I haven’t dreamfasted with anyone for three whole trine after I attempted it with Deet. Kylan, I haven’t been able to dreamfast with my own daughter, damn it! What is wrong with you?”

Kylan lifted his gaze to meet Bobb’N’s, squinting his eyes as his ears went back defensively. “I had to be absolutely sure of every possibility.”

“Doing that will only get you killed!”

“Well, this time it didn’t.” Replied the Spriton. “And I did hear someone else. Not enough to be sure of their identity, but I know for a fact that Deet was indeed communicating with another gelfling.”

Bobb’N stared at the Songteller with a suspicious glint in his eyes. The Grottan began moving forward again, continuing up the path towards their destination. He offered no other words of conversation, preferring to stay silent. Kylan thankfully made no effort to push the issue, trailing behind him by a few paces. When they finally rounded the corner that led to the cave entrance, the duo removed any weapons from their persons and set them outside the mouth of the cave. They had each learned the hard way that it was best not to approach Deet while holding anything that could even remotely damage her.

Stepping into the open cave mouth, Bobb’N waited a few seconds to let his eyes adjust to the darkness before moving on. Despite his Grottan heritage, he had grown so accustomed to topside sunlight in the last twenty trine that he could no longer charge into a dark room without mild preparation, and Deet’s cave was no different. The natural tunnels of the mountains lacked the bioluminescent lichen and moss that was native to his homeland of Domrak, so it was always best to wait for one’s eyes to become used to the dark rather than stumble aimlessly about.

Kylan gripped his shoulder tightly, and together they moved through the cave, heading towards the deeper part of the tunnel where his sister resided. When they had first relocated Deet to this place, they had carved various holes into the ceiling to allow for miniscule beams of light to pass through, which could be used as guides during either day or night. The trail of light led to a great hollowed out section that sat within the heart of the mountain, decorated with various ores and precious minerals that lined its walls and gave off a beautiful, natural glow that illuminated the cavern in a radiant spectrum of colors. In the farthest corner of the grand space, bathed in the same brilliant light, there lay Deet with her back turned to Bobb’N and Kylan, her irregular breathing echoing in the other Grottan’s ears.

Bobb’N took a cautious step forward, but jumped back when Deet stopped breathing and suddenly spun around to face him. Her green skin was still marred by the numerous scars of the Darkening, branching out across her face and hands like plant life. Her hair and dress were dirtied a considerable amount, and she gripped her arms with so much force that bruises were beginning to form. A deep purple hue clouded her eyes, shrouding them in a state of near-blindness. Deet’s mouth moved quickly and silently, enunciating empty vowels and consonants at an impossible speed. 

Kylan chanced moving closer, when Deet suddenly began to let out a low growl, freezing him in place. With a shaky breath, Deet turned her head so that she was now looking in the Spriton’s general direction, and removed her right hand from her arm, blindly reaching out to the other gelfling. The noisy growl returned, growing louder in volume until a broken, distorted voice finally escaped, making Bobb’N retreat in fear.

**“Kylan.”** Deet said while waving her arm, trying to find the Songteller. Her voice seemed to dip down and rise in pitch all at the same time, making it hard to discern her tone. Then Deet spoke again, and this time the words were clearly said out of despair. **“Help me. Please.”**

Wordlessly, Kylan moved closer, crouching down in front of her prone form. With one hand he cautiously gripped Deet’s outstretched limb, grabbing her by the forearm to avoid dreamfasting, and used his other hand to soothingly caress the wounded skin. Deet inhaled another hollow gasp of air, then exhaled it calmly, her body growing less tense as she settled down. Bobb’N looked upon the scene in abject horror, before snapping out of his trance and marching over to the Songteller, pulling on the other gelfling’s shoulder with his one good arm.

“Are you insane?” The Grottan whispered through gritted teeth. “Don’t touch her! The Darkening will kill you!”

“No. She’s speaking coherently again! Take my hand, and maybe we can initiate a dreamfast!”

“Are you kidding me?” Bobb’N replied, digging his fingers into the fabric of Kylan’s shirt. “I am not risking my life - or yours - on some half-baked guess that we won’t be harmed in a dreamfast with that- that _thing!_ Whatever is happening to it may very well be for the best; let it die, Kylan. There’s nothing that we can do now.”

“You may think that,” the Songteller spoke, venom in his words, “but I don’t. If you don’t want to help her, then leave. You’re just in the way now, Bobb’N.”

Kylan shrugged off his hand angrily, refusing to turn around and face him. The Spriton said nothing for a moment, simply continuing in his task of calming Deet. When Bobb’N tried grabbing his shoulder again, he glanced over his shoulder at the Grottan, eyes afire with quiet vehemence. “Do not touch me.”

Feelings of anger stirred within Bobb’N, and before he knew it he was forcibly prying Kylan away from his sister, striking him with small blows to the back of the head and spine. The Spriton cried out in pain, but expertly avoided another strike by rolling to the side. Bobb’N suddenly felt his legs be kicked out from under him, and he hit the rock floor with a loud thud. Kylan was on top of him in a matter of seconds, holding the Grottan’s arm down with his knee and pressing his elbow into the younger gelfling’s throat. Bobb’N gagged helplessly as he made eye contact with his senior. The Songteller was practically seething with fury.

“You ungrateful, spoiled child!” Kylan shouted down at him, pressing his knee further into Bobb’N’s arm. “She’s speaking again, do you not understand that?! Deet, your _sister,_ is actually trying to communicate, and you’re still worried about the Darkening, of all things? Look around you, Bobb’N! Thra has already healed itself. My destiny as a resistance leader may be finished, but my duties as a friend aren’t! If this is the one, final way that I can be of use to anyone, then I’m not wasting the opportunity. You may have given up, but I haven’t. I still have _faith._ For once in my life I have _hope_ again, damn it!”

The pressure was finally lifted from his throat, and Bobb’N immediately pushed himself up from underneath Kylan, coughing as he greedily took in air. By the time he turned his attention back to the Songteller, the older gelfling had already resumed his position by Deet’s side, combing his hand through her wispy hair. During their confrontation Deet had barely stirred an inch, and Bobb’N watched in awe as the Spriton quietly whispered to her in the subtle lighting of the cave.

Straightening his shoulders, Bobb’N turned on his heel and followed the path back to the real world. Kylan was a fool to think that he could somehow nurse Deet back to health. The Grottan scoffed as he recalled the other gelfling’s words from before.

“Thra’s healed itself, huh?” He stopped to kick a stray rock, watching as it rolled along the cave floor and exploded into pieces upon impact with the tunnel wall. Bobb’N sighed as an empty feeling came over him. “Then why else would she still be Darkened, if Thra itself wasn’t giving up on her?”

Reaching the cave entrance, the one-armed gelfling collected his things, noticing the way the three suns were just beginning to crest over the tallest mountains, signalling the coming of the night. The trip up the path was close to thirty minutes either way, and with the added time of the fight with Kylan, Bobb'N had probably spent almost an hour or so wasting his time on this Thra-forsaken mountain. Lori and Yvenna would definitely be worrying about him right now, awaiting his return. 

Unlike Kylan, he preferred to focus on the loved ones that were still alive; the ones that didn’t need any saving. Bobb’N dusted off his clothes and started back down the path, dragging his feet through the dirt with the firm belief that he was doing the right thing.

**XXXX**

She could hear the footsteps of the second gelfling slowly fading away in the distance, with only a few trace echoes following them. She did not know the identity of that gelfling, as the fog in her mind seemed to grow in volume each day, but it was clear as day that he had been angry. Kylan had been angry, too.

Oh, she could always remember Kylan. He was the only one who visited this place, and with the gradual deterioration of her sight, she had come to recognize the melancholic Spriton by his scent and the sound of his light feet. No matter what, he would bring her food and water every afternoon and calmly tell her about his day. Often he would appear at night, utilizing the sweet notes of his firca to lull her into a peaceful slumber. Even when writhing in agony in this cold, lonely place, Kylan’s words were a comfort to her, and sometimes she’d find herself repeating them in the dark, when the pain was too great, in order to divert her attention from her weakening state of being.

Now she could feel his careful touch along her arm, softly massaging the skin as he whispered softly into her ear. She felt herself become less tense as the Darkening settled down, but it would only be a matter of time before the aching in her empty heart began again. This was her only chance to speak to him about her child.

Squinting her eyes in the faint yet harsh light of the cave, Deet could barely make out the shadowy outline of the Spriton’s crouched form above her. One hand was still rubbing her arm in a loving manner, but the other held her forearm in what felt like an iron grip. 

_I wonder… Does it hurt because Kylan wants to bruise me? Or have I gotten so weak that the simplest of touches damages me so?_

Her pain was irrelevant, anyway. What mattered most now was that she passed the information on to her dear friend. If anyone could find Jen, it would be Kylan.

So, with the Spriton none the wiser, Deet sluggishly moved her unoccupied hand along the ground, just under his line of sight. When her hand was positioned directly underneath his own, Deet inhaled a great intake of breath, exhaling it through her mouth raspily.

**“I’m sorry for this, Kylan.”** Was all she said, before clasping hands with her friend and initializing the dreamfast.

In the span of nearly three seconds, Kylan would come to know of Jen, of his journey towards their refuge, and of the shared connection between mother and son. But most importantly, Kylan would learn the details of their mental conversation, of Jen’s feelings of warmth and love upon meeting his mother, and the last thing that Deet had saved: the name uttered by her son in the midst of her questioning. A name. A _girl’s_ name.

_Kira._

Deet smiled at the Spriton’s shocked echo, happy that someone else was now privy to her secrets. With another determined breath, she willed to Kylan the last vestiges of her pre-Darkened memory with the silent request that he share those fragments with Jen. He quickly agreed, and Deet nodded in approval. 

The Darkening pulled at her conscious mind, dragging her back into the empty black void where she would feel nothing but pain. Before it was too late she focused all of her willpower on releasing Kylan from the hold of the dreamfast. When the deed was done, Deet fully let go, welcoming the void with the hope that when next she woke up, it would be to the sight of her son standing before her, looking down at her with the beautiful blue eyes that had been passed down to him by Rian.

And then the convulsions started.

**XXXX**

The suns had begun to set, covering the expanse of the Endless Forest in shadow and muting the naturally vibrant colors within it. From the air one could barely see the ground below, the trees were so closely knit together, but in the rare spots where the canopy was left open, flashes of white could be seen dipping in and out of the conquering green; the trademark fur of a landstrider. Two of them, to be exact.

Jen sat upon Rezu with his hands still bound together, his dark brown coat blending in with the bark of the surrounding trees. Despite the fact that they were only walking, he was holding on to the animal for dear life, shuffling from side to side and readjusting his grip on the white fur whenever the landstrider took too big of a step.

Kira watched with mild amusement as he struggled. She was back on Seppa, following closely behind Rezu and Jen and watching for any suspicious activity from either of them. Fizzgig was sleeping soundly in her lap, a few strands of Jen’s hair caught in between his teeth from when the boy had tried to escape earlier in the morning. Kira had been startled awake after being unceremoniously pushed off of Jen, and had barely rubbed the sleep from her eyes just in time to see Fizzgig tackling the male gelfling to the ground. After watching the incident with some satisfaction, she had separated the two and redoubled her efforts in restraining Jen, which led to their current situation.

The plan was to be back at the Castle by tomorrow night, though Kira had to admit that she hadn’t taken into account the fact that they would be completely retracing their steps, and that meant they had to travel through the mud again.

Although she no longer had the added trouble of tracking down Jen, the elements of Thra seemed to be stacked against her today. Already Kira could see dark clouds forming in the sky, the smell of the coming rain poignant in the air. Chancing a glance at her prisoner, she sighed when she saw Jen sniffing the air curiously. He turned back to look at Kira with a neutral expression, nearly falling off of Rezu as he did so.

“It’s going to rain!” He said, avoiding eye contact as he spoke. “We should probably stop for now, Kira.”

Even if he was somewhat right, Kira couldn’t help but feel a bit irritated at his words. “Okay, Jen. Where would you have us camp out? We’re in the middle of a giant mud puddle, how in the world are we going to set up camp on sloshy, uneven ground like this?”

The boy flinched at her words, diverting his attention back to the scenery of the Endless Forest. Kira was about to speak again when he suddenly interrupted her.

“I have an idea!” Jen stated enthusiastically, his ears perking up, “We can use rope to secure us to the trees. Sleep in the branches!”

He turned to look back at her, most likely gauging Kira’s reaction to the idea. The girl mulled it over in her head. It _could_ work, and the trees would provide enough cover to protect against most of the rain. The question was just whether or not she could trust Jen enough to go through with it. Maybe if she kept his hands tied while they slept, then Kira would finally be able to catch up on her elusive sleep schedule.

The female gelfling decided that she could chance it, and clicked her tongue at Seppa, directing him towards a clump of trees growing out of the mud. Jen motioned for Rezu to follow, and together both landstrider mounts arrived at the largest of the trees. The rough appearance of the light brown bark was complemented by the multi-hued color of its many leaves, shining in various greens and yellows as the dying evening sunlight bore down on them. The tree was relatively big compared to its peers, standing at around thirty feet high and averaging out at about five feet in diameter, with branches stretching out in all directions. Without any prior knowledge of Thra and its plant life, one could easily confuse this moderate example with one of the Great Patron Trees of the planet, though Kira didn’t mark it down for its lack of a special purpose. It was still a beautiful tree, and for tonight, it would serve as the perfect shelter.

“Uh, Kira? Hello? Kira?”

She snapped out of her trance to look back at Jen, who was staring at her concerningly. “Yes, what is it?” She asked in a clipped tone.

Jen seemed only lightly fazed by the harshness of her speech, straightening his posture and holding his gaze level to hers. “I was saying: how am I supposed to get up there? My hands are still tied. I can’t climb up.”

“Oh.” She knew she was forgetting something. Reaching into the pouch on Seppa’s side, Kira produced a long line of rope and an extra-long bola, carefully setting them on the landstrider’s back right next to the sleeping form of Fizzgig. 

Grabbing the bola, the girl jumped over to Rezu’s back, softly floating over to Jen with the aid of her wings. She landed gracefully and sat down facing the boy, a small grin on her features as he leaned back in surprise. 

Kira held the bola taught in her hands, extending it to its full length. “We’ll use this. I’m going to tie this under your arms and use it to pull you up as I climb. Just don’t weigh me down, or else we’ll both fall into the mud.”

A dismayed frown worked its way onto Jen’s lips. “Kira,” he said, “why don’t you just untie me and let me climb up by myself?”

“I don’t trust you right now Jen.” 

The response was followed by a stern glare, making the other gelfling avert her gaze. Jen said nothing more after that, so Kira took it as her cue to begin. She moved closer to him, attempting to feed the bola underneath his right armpit and around his back, but due to her shorter arms, she was unable to grab the woven cable without straining herself. Kira tried it again, then once more, her frustration growing by the second. When the bola slipped out of her grasp and dropped to the side yet again, she removed it entirely, unleashing her quiet anger onto Jen, who up until this point had been neither a help nor a hindrance in the matter.

“Put your arms around me so that I can get closer.” She ordered, not missing the way Jen’s ears flattened out against his head.

“W-what?” He sputtered, flinching back as if Kira had struck him. His bright blue eyes were wide with shock, and his face was beginning to flush. “You want me to do what now?”

Kira ignored his questioning, lifting Jen’s arms up and scooting even closer to him, setting his bound hands behind her. She stopped with only a few inches between them, and slumped slightly so that she could see what she was doing. With one hand she weaved the bola under his arm and used the other to reach around Jen’s back, grinning in satisfaction when she had full grasp of the cable. Kira pulled the other end back around, securing the bola together with a series of complicated knots, leaving the longer end hanging off to the side where it barely scraped the mud. 

Kira smiled, admiring her handiwork, before suddenly taking stock of their current positioning. Jen’s hands were still tied together, resting against the small of her back, and the girl felt her ears drop to the side when she realized just how _close_ they were right now. She was only a hair’s breadth away from fitting into Jen like a puzzle piece, and the warmth emanating from his body made her breath hitch. Kira glanced up at the boy, wondering if he also noticed their close proximity to each other. 

Jen was looking off to the side, avoiding eye contact with her. His eyes were shut tight, and his face still had a bit of a pinkish tone to it. Nervous beads of sweat trailed down the side of his face, while his ears were pinned to the sides of his head. Kira let out a small cough to get his attention, and Jen slowly opened his eyes, gazing down at her silently as they sat still. Kira stared back into his blue eyes for a moment, feeling his warm breath tickle her skin, before regaining her composure and awkwardly navigating her way out from under his arms. She forced herself to ignore the sudden cold she felt after pulling away, instead focusing on gathering up the extra length of the bola and tying it around her waist.

“Um, well, that’s done. Let’s start climbing, yeah?”

The words tumbled out of her mouth nervously, a drastic change from her austere demeanor only a few minutes prior. Jen nodded and responded with a quiet “yeah,” letting Kira guide Rezu to rest against the big tree, where they began their ascent. It was troublesome at first, as Kira had to balance between finding handholds for herself and pulling up Jen’s extra weight as she climbed. Thankfully the boy was at least using his feet to steady himself against the tree, scraping his elbows on its surface as she dragged him along. However, Kira didn’t miss the short curses that Jen muttered under his breath when the bola tightened around his chest. Right now she was feeling a similar pain around her waist, where her end of the cable was gradually cutting into her skin through her clothes. Well, at least they would be sleeping after this.

After another few minutes of climbing, Kira found a branch big enough to support their weight, and hoisted her body onto the limb, scooting over so that she could assist Jen. The boy grunted as he situated himself to lean against the tree trunk, leaving Kira dangling her legs over the side, breathing hard as her heartbeat evened out after the strenuous activity. The dark clouds above were starting to let loose their burden, a light drizzle coming down as the water poured onto the trees. The many leaves overhead prevented most of the rain from reaching them, but now and again Kira would feel a few drops of water splash on her hands, the tip of her nose, or even her ears.

Despite its rough appearance, the bark of the tree was rather smooth, and the female gelfling watched intently as the rain cascaded down on the forest around them. The wind shifted, blowing the rain in a new direction, and Kira’s eyes followed the water until they came to rest on Jen, who was struggling to pull his firca out from the inside pocket of his coat. Once the little wooden instrument was free, he put the mouthpiece to his lips, blowing a few light notes that sung through the air. Kira raised her eyebrows, impressed that he still managed to play music with his wrists bound together. Before she could remember that she was supposed to be mad at him, her curiosity got the better of her, and she began to speak.

“Is it hard to play that, Jen?” She asked, tilting her head to the side, where another drop of water splashed on her left ear.

Jen stopped his playing, startled, but after hearing her question he looked down at the firca, a tiny smile gracing his features.

“Not really,” he replied, “though I guess I say that because I’ve been practicing for so long. Of course, normally my hands aren’t tied together either.”

The hint of sarcasm in his tone didn’t go unnoticed, and Kira rolled her eyes at the statement, but then Jen was suddenly beckoning her over. “Would you like to try it, Kira?”

She looked at him incredulously, placing her hand on her chest. “Me?”

“Yes.” Jen responded. “There’s not much else to do right now in this rain, since we ate an hour ago; I can teach you some of the basic notes before we have to sleep.”

The girl looked away, brushing some of her white hair back behind her ears. Another drop of water touched down on her skin, this time on one of her legs. Kira sensed her face grow a tad warmer, and suddenly the forest seemed a lot more interesting to look at. Realizing she hadn’t answered her companion, she quietly whispered back. “I don’t know, Jen. I was never very good with playing any of the podling instruments, so I’ll probably sound terrible trying to play your firca.”

“That’s okay!” Jen said a tad loudly, raising his bound hands in a placating gesture. “I’m sure you’ll do fine! I can teach you how to play my firca, and then maybe…. M-maybe you can teach me how to sing…?” He tacked on that last part with a small stutter, his face flushing again. 

Kira felt like she was looking in a mirror, and Jen was her own nervous reflection. But his words managed to worm their way into a place in her heart, and she found herself warming up to the idea - both literally and figuratively.

“Okay.”

“Huh?”

“You can teach me to play music, and in return I’ll teach you how to sing.”

The pupils of Jen’s eyes appeared to dilate, and he smiled at her sweetly, motioning her to come closer to his spot against the tree trunk. Kira complied, but found herself confused by what he was trying to do, when all of a sudden Jen had lifted his arms up and around her again, pulling her to lean against him as he held the firca in front of her face with his hands. His body was just as warm as before, and Kira was glad that they weren’t face-to-face at the moment, because she was absolutely sure that her face was as pink as the Rose Sun.

Jen instructed her how to properly hold the firca, rattling off the many positions she could make with her fingers to create different sounds. Kira absentmindedly followed his lead, becoming distracted whenever Jen readjusted himself so that she could be more comfortable. When he had finished giving her the fundamentals of how to work the instrument, the boy smiled again, encouraging her to play. With a deep intake of breath, Kira put her lips to the firca, releasing her gathered air into the tiny wishbone-shaped flute. A long, high-pitched note rang out through the forest, echoing a little even after Kira had stopped.

Jen let out a short laugh, clapping his bound hands together in approval. “Very good! See? You’re a natural at this.”

“I feel silly.”

“Don’t worry about it, you’re doing fine.” He made a gesture with his hands, urging her on. “Keep playing, but this time try adding in one of the other notes.”

The female gelfling did so, reproducing the high note, then following it up with a note of a much lower register. As with before, Jen applauded her performance, making her feel a bit more confident about the whole thing. They repeated this for a while, with Kira continuing to add in different notes, until at last she was making her own song. When she finally set the firca down, her lips were as dry as the tree bark they were sitting on, but she laughed, proud of her achievement. Jen’s arms stayed wrapped around her, yet she found that she didn’t mind, and in fact had nearly buried herself into his form during her music lesson, greedily taking in the warmth his body provided.

With a playful grin she looked over her shoulder at him, a twinkle in her eye. “Alright, now it’s your turn. I get to teach you how to sing.” 

“Right.” Jen replied, nodding nervously, but still enthusiastic. Even though she was done playing, he made no move to take back the firca, so Kira simply held it in her lap, rotating a bit in Jen’s arms so that she wouldn’t obstruct his air flow while he sang.

Kira walked him through some of the basics of singing, including how to determine whether Jen would do best as a bass or in one of the higher singing ranges. “Just act as if you were humming a tune in your head, but just open your mouth as you do it. Like this:”

She sang out a light chant, keeping it simple for Jen’s sake. “Now try and copy me, but do it naturally. Don’t go too high if it doesn’t feel right.”

Jen’s jaw tightened with purpose, and he nodded again, hesitating a little as he pondered her instructions. Then, with a deep inhale, Jen opened his mouth, releasing a long, powerful sound that belonged to the lower-mid range. It was rather shocking to see and hear, considering his naturally reserved personality, but the semi-deep note that echoed from Jen’s throat was a pleasant surprise to Kira’s ears.

“Wow!” The girl shouted, amazed at his short performance. “How did you do that?”

A sheepish grin forced its way onto Jen’s face, and he ducked his head shyly. “I just remembered the chants of the Mystics, and how I used to try and imitate them when I was younger. I guess now I can sort of copy them, although my voice doesn’t go quite as low.”

“That was amazing, Jen!”

“Now I can’t help but feel a bit silly, too.”

“Nonsense,” Kira countered, still clutching the firca close to her, “I’ve never heard someone sing that low before, not even the older podlings can go that far down!”

Jen scratched behind his ear, lightly playing with some strands of his hair. He looked back into her eyes with silent thanks, that shy smile still cemented into his expression. The girl held up the firca between them, another twinkle in her dark eyes being reflected in his own blue orbs. 

“Do you mind if we try together? I play, you sing?”

“...Sure, I’d like that.”

With his permission secured, Kira closed her eyes and put the firca to her lips again, playing a light tune that rang throughout the forest. Jen inhaled another load of air, and began to chant again, albeit a bit less deep in pitch. Together the sounds collided and formed a song, dancing in Kira’s ears and swirling around her heart. The girl couldn’t help but feel grateful for this change in atmosphere between them, it felt nice to share their talents with each other. Although, just to be sure, she wouldn’t cut Jen loose of his restraints just yet. Tomorrow, maybe, if things went well. Just long enough so that she could keep him close and make absolute sure that he wouldn’t run off again.

Their song was over far too quickly, and Kira sighed tiredly, leaning back into Jen’s warm body. The rain had intensified now, and the boy held her even closer, shielding her from the icy wind that whipped the trees. Although her eyes had already closed, Kira groaned unamusingly. “I forgot to grab the rope. We might fall.”

She felt Jen’s breath tickle her ear, as he whispered quietly to her. “That’s okay. We’re still tied together with the bola, plus I think the landstriders and Fizzgig are already sleeping.” He shifted slightly underneath her for a second, before readjusting himself again. “Yeah, they’re asleep, I just checked. Did you know landstriders slept standing up?”

“You didn’t?”

“Not really, no.” Jen chuckled a little. “Actually, it was only the other day that I realized how to tell the difference between a male and female.”

“And what’s that?”

“Shorter ears.”

Kira hummed in approval, still holding the firca close to her heart. A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she decided to articulate it. “Jen?”

“Yes?”

“How are you so good at seeing things in the dark?” She questioned.

There was a short pause as Jen seemed to think of an answer. “I don’t really know.”

Kira hummed again, snuggling close. “Maybe we can ask Aughra about it, once we get back to the Castle.” At her words she heard the boy’s breath hitch, but then his body relaxed again, however his arms were still a bit tense around her. Neither gelfling said anything, for fear of ruining the tranquil mood they had been graced with.

Then, just as Kira was about to say something else, Jen gripped her right palm - the one that wasn’t holding the firca - with his own bound hands, remaining silent as he exhaled evenly, the tenseness of his arms going away completely.

“Goodnight Kira.”

“Goodnight Jen,” she responded, “sleep well.”

The two of them eased into a quiet rest, with only the sound of the wind and rain disturbing them, however that too eventually devolved into nothing more than white noise. Kira laid her head on Jen’s chest, listening to the soft back and forth rhythm of his heartbeat. She recalled the near-invisible remnant of the Darkening that was supposed to be situated next to it, and for the first time since they had met, Kira sent a mental prayer to Thra, begging for this boy, her closest friend, to be kept safe. For Aughra to find a way of expelling this blight from his soul, so that they could continue sharing moments like this: periods of shared solitude - _peace_ \- where nothing on the planet could disturb them; when it felt like they were the only beings left on Thra. She selfishly longed for more of this, but it would be useless if this boy could not join her when that time came.

She had already experienced dying once before, but to lose Jen and keep on living, especially after this strong, heart-felt moment of bonding, would be like dying all over again. So Kira prayed, and hoped that her prayers would be answered, because at this point that’s all she could do. _Hope._

**XXXX**

The three moons had risen over the mountains hours ago, so it was unlikely that Bobb’N would answer, but Kylan knocked on the door anyway. His bow and quiver were on his back, and around his shoulder a large camping bag was slung to his side. The trademark firca was hanging around his neck by threads of fabric, his hair and ears hidden beneath a cap knitted from his old red sweater, while the rest of his body was likewise covered in other snow-resistant fabrics.

Tonight he would be leaving, and despite their fight earlier this evening, the Grottan deserved to know of Kylan’s journey, and the exact reasons _why_ he was leaving. If Bobb’N wasn’t accepting to the offer of a dreamfast, Kylan would give him the note that he now nervously held in his hands, softly crumpling the edges of the folded paper in an unwanted show of anxiety.

Inside the note was a detailed explanation of everything Deet had shown him before she lost consciousness again, including the parts about Jen being alive. Kylan had especially stressed those parts in his writing in the hopes of convincing Bobb’N to join him, or to at least attempt to approach his sister again. The only thing the Spriton had omitted from the letter was any mention of the name “Kira,” mainly because Kylan didn’t want to get his own hopes up by promising something he couldn’t produce a result for. 

The second half of the letter pertained to instructions on how to care for Deet while he was away. They were simple enough; bring her food and water each afternoon, stay with her for the minimum of an hour, and only talk to her in soft whispers in order to avoid forcing a hostile situation with the Darkening. He truly hoped that Bobb’N would go through with it, he had no idea what to expect from the Grottan after their confrontation in the caves.

The sound of the door being unlocked startled Kylan out of his thoughts, and he swallowed thickly, eyes dimming a little as the form of a pregnant Dousan occupied the empty space of the doorway. Lorinau frowned at the Spriton, though it seemed that tonight her hatred was only at half-strength, judging by the rings forming around her eyes from lack of sleep. Her lips pursed together distastefully as she addressed him.

“What in Thra’s name could you possibly want at this hour, Spriton?!” She chided quietly, caressing the bump protruding from her stomach.

For a moment Kylan left his journey on the backburner, reaching out to awkwardly grip Lorinau’s shoulder in a show of comfort. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Just a normal case of insomnia during pregnancy, plus this one doesn’t ever seem to want to quiet down.” The Dousan palmed her middle again as another kick appeared to make impact. “Why did you come here, Kylan?”

The Songteller backed up again, trying to find the right words to say to her. With nothing coming to mind, he simply handed her the folded piece of paper, fiddling with his firca nervously. Lori held the paper up with one hand, inspecting it, but made no move to open the note and read its contents.

She stared at him, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “What’s this? An apology letter for the scrap you had with my husband?”

“If you want to think that’s what it is, then sure. Just make sure Bobb’N reads it please.”

Lori seemed to look him over again, taking in the state of his attire. “Where are you going? Are you leaving the refuge?”

Kylan stepped away from her, already preparing to go. “I can’t say,” he said non-committedly, “it’s too important to just tell everybody that I come across.”

“Hold it! You stop right there!”

The pregnant Dousan nearly tackled him to the ground as she opened her wings and flew to his position from the doorway, catching him by the wrist with her hand. Kylan was forced to turn around, shocked as the paper was pushed back into his face. He fumbled with the note for a moment, only having a grasp on it after it fell to the ground. Sighing irritably, Kylan stood straight again, looking down at the younger gelfling woman with barely-restrained contempt. Lori matched his reflection perfectly, glaring daggers up at the Spriton as she refused to let go of his wrist.

“You’re going to tell me why you’re leaving, mister, or else I won’t give Bobb’N your letter.” She said threateningly. Kylan scoffed at her tone, pushing the paper back into her palm.

“No,” the Spriton said defiantly, “I’m not.”

Lori’s tired eyes squinted in frustration, reversing ownership of the note yet again. “Well, then I guess Bobb’N won’t be getting your letter!”

Kylan groaned. He could tell this wasn’t going to end anytime soon, and he needed to be gone by dawn if he wanted to make any progress at all. With a quiet yell, he shushed the pregnant Dousan, gesturing with his hands to make her silent.

“Okay! Jeez, you’re relentless, you know that?!”

“I have every right to be, I’m pregnant!”

The Spriton shushed her again, before quickly explaining the contents of the letter with an even tone, albeit through gritted teeth. As he spoke he could see Lori’s brow knit together again, her characteristic sign of being confused. He supposed that was normal to expect, however, seeing as she had never met Deet, and had only heard of her in whispered conversation between Bobb’N and himself on rare occasions. When he was done explaining, she looked down at the paper that Kylan had once again forced into her hands, her tired eyes shining a little with understanding.

“So…” The Dousan was at a loss for words for a moment. “Bobb’N’s nephew is alive? And you were told this by his sister, who’s hidden in the caves up on the mountain? And she’s dying from the Darkening?”

“What’s left of it, yes.” Kylan confirmed. “But what matters is that Bobb’N reads this as soon as possible, so that he knows where I’m going. I have to get them back.”

“ _Them?_ There’s more than one?”

Kylan’s eyes widened in shock, and he gripped the sides of his cap angrily, cursing himself for the verbal slip. When he had finished, he looked back at Lori, who to his surprise still held that glint of understanding in her eyes. “There’s someone else that’s important to you, isn’t there?” She asked, though it lacked the disbelieving tone congruent with her other questions.

Reluctantly, the Spriton nodded in the affirmative. “Yes. Brea’s niece… Seladon’s child. She became _our_ child after… after… Look it’s not importa-”

“Go.”

“What?”

He was taken aback as the Dousan pulled him into a tight embrace. Kylan, shocked, could do nothing but return the hug nervously. Lori stepped away from him, smiling. It was so uncommon for it to be directed at him that Kylan actually felt a chill go down his spine.

Lori held up the paper playfully. “Don’t worry, I’ll give this to Bobb’N.” She turned away, before spinning around again. “And Kylan?”

“Yes?” He responded, baffled at her sudden kindness.

“Good luck.”

And then the Dousan woman left, returning to her home, leaving Kylan standing dumbfounded as he replayed the past few minutes in his head. Still in shock, the Songteller readjusted his belongings on his person and spun on his heel, heading towards the secret exit to the hidden valley. He would be the first gelfling in fifteen trine to leave the protection of the settlement, though of course, there wasn’t much danger now that Thra was healed. No Garthim or Crystal Bats would harass him on his quest, of that he was sure. A smile forced its way onto Kylan’s face as he let his imagination run wild.

“I wonder how much has changed after all this time?”


	7. Remembrance

**_The Age of Division, twenty trine ago…_ **

**_Three trine into the Garthim Wars._ **

**_Ha’rar, Last Stronghold of the Gelfling..._ **

Kylan watched with fondness as his wife played with their niece, smiling at the pair from his seat by the fireplace. Though she was barely three unum old, Kira was giggling wildly as Brea spun around in circles about the room, the older female humming a light tune into the infant’s ear as she did so. Watching them brought a feeling of gratefulness to the forefront of the Spriton’s mind, along with the hope that he and Brea would soon conceive a childling of their own. The presence of a baby would provide a nice distraction from everything that was going on in their world right now.

Stone-in-the-Wood had fallen only last week. Tired of a gelfling outpost being so close to the Castle of the Crystal, the Skeksis had unleashed the full force of the Garthim upon the village, razing it to the ground. Almost no one had survived. Those that did were either wounded or traumatized to the point of being vegetated, and even then they were still better off than Deet. 

At some point during the massacre, the gentle Grottan had let go of whatever mental restraints she had forced on the Darkening, in an attempt to protect the village from the Garthim. She had succeeded, but at the cost of her own free will and functionality. Now she occupied an isolated room within the Citadel with only Kylan and Brea allowed to care for her, but their interference had done little to help Deet in any way. It was clear that she was slowly dying, only they didn’t know when she would actually go.

Rian was already dead; his body had been found buried under rubble, a severed Garthim claw imbedded in his chest and a broken sword frozen in his grip; a fighter until the end. His memorial service had been kept secret to avoid causing a panic among the rest of the gelfling, replaced by a fake rumor that he had taken refuge in the Citadel to heal from his wounds. Although the resistance swallowed the lie, morale was still at a record low, and many had already begun to suspect Rian’s true fate, especially since Jen, Rian and Deet’s childling, was nowhere to be found.

Kylan sighed deeply at that thought, glancing in his wife’s direction. Kira was only a few weeks younger than Jen, but had been brought to Ha’rar on orders from Seladon while she tended to matters in the Swamp of Sog. The Garthim had been spotted sparingly at the border between the Spriton Plains and Sog, and the former All-Maudra had been requested by Maudra Naia to organize defense plans, prioritizing the protection of the Great Smerth. The Skeksis had been attacking the Patron Trees in short bursts via swarms of Crystal Bats, and had been mildly successful in their endeavor, weakening the trees’ connection to Thra and the gelfling as a result. Despite Brea’s pleading, Seladon had stayed in Sog, but had entrusted the life of her daughter to her sister, much to the younger sibling’s surprise. Even now as she spun her niece around joyfully, Kylan could see fragments of worry etched into her face, in the way her smile never reached her eyes as of late, how even despite the charming face she put on for him and everyone else, Brea was hurting on the inside. She was reeling from the events of the last week, still processing her grief; mourning, for the loss of two of her friends and their child, and all the possibilities that could’ve been open to them had they lived. Now it was all gone for good.

Brea stopped her spinning to burp Kira, then happily skipped over to his desk next to the fireplace. “Is it any good?” She inquired.

“What?”

“Your story. Is it a good read?” She asked again.

The Spriton looked down at his hands, where he held onto a paperback journal written by a Vapran musician some three hundred trine prior. He looked back up to his wife, smiling with all his teeth bared. “Yes, it’s all very interesting.” As he glanced back to the page, Kylan’s lips contorted to a frown. “However, I don’t think I was on this page. Must’ve kept reading while I was thinking and didn’t notice.”

Brea’s eyebrow quirked up at that statement, as she repositioned Kira on her hip. “What were you thinking about?” Her tone said _“there’s no need to tell me,”_ but her eyes seemed to argue _“tell me, or else…”_

Kylan simply shrugged in what he hoped was a casual manner, flipping back a couple pages until he reached his last known placement. “You know, just… thinking about the songs of this storyteller you recommended. Music stuff.”

The silverling was unamused. “And?” She questioned, urging him to go on. Kylan inwardly cursed himself for being so easy to read, but then again Brea had always been an intuitive individual. She hadn’t been given the title of Clever for nothing.

Rubbing his shoulder shyly, Kylan gazed into the fire, sifting through the ashes for a way to avoid telling her what he was really thinking about. Brea had had enough trouble to last a lifetime, so as he returned his attention to her, he ignored her questions altogether, standing up from his desk and resting his book on top of the wood. The Spriton wrapped one arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him and moving towards the door that led to the kitchen. 

“I’m feeling a bit peckish. How about we have some food?”

“We only ate dinner two hours ago, love.”

“Then how about dessert?” Kylan proposed, grinning as Brea laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes?”

The Vapran laughed again, standing on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. “Fine,” she said, “but you’ll have to hold Kira while we eat.”

The Songteller nodded. “That’s quite alright with me.” He offered up his hands, accepting the squirming childling with open arms. Kira was deposited into his hold, and before he knew it both of his braids were being tugged and drooled on.

Brea put a hand to her lips, trying to smother a laugh, but a few giggles escaped anyway. Kylan continued on his way to the kitchen, doing his best to ignore the slight pulling on his scalp from the infant’s abuse. He had just crossed the threshold when a significant yank on his left braid made him gasp in pain.

“Ow, jeez!” He yelped, pulling the braid free from Kira’s grip. “I knew I should’ve stopped wearing my hair like this. It’s just far too tempting for you Vaprans to pull on!”

From her place at his side Brea let out a gasp of her own, flicking Kylan on the ear as her face became reddened from embarrassment. “Don’t joke like that around my niece! She is far too young to know of such things, and I will not let Seladon blame _me_ for any corruption that _you_ caused!”

Kylan smiled guiltily, fake whispering to an unassuming Kira. “Did you hear that? Your Auntie Brea thinks I’m a bad influence. Let’s prove her right by having some cake. Doesn’t that sound nice, Kira?”

The childling in his arms laughed before burying her head in the crook of his neck, spilling fresh rivulets of drool down his shoulder. The Spriton shuddered as Brea cackled victoriously. “Ha! That’s what you get, Uncle Kylan! She’ll always be on my side.” 

Despite his discomfort and slight disgust, Kylan chuckled along with her. As he stepped deeper into the kitchen, he turned around to plant a kiss on his wife’s forehead, stopping her dead in her tracks. 

“Just wait until we have a childing of our own.” He said. “Then they’ll learn to love us both equally.”

-

\--

\---

**_Early Age of Power, now…_ **

**_Somewhere in the Claw Mountains…_ **

The harshness of the cold wind bit him all around his body, unrelenting in its endeavor to freeze him solid. The secret refuge of the gelfling had always had the mountains surrounding it to block the colder bursts of air, but now that he was out in the open again there was little of anything to protect him from the freezing temperatures. Kylan readjusted the woolen cap on his head for the umpteenth time in five minutes, rubbing his ears with his gloved hands to try and warm them up. Night had come and gone in mere seconds, but the light of the three suns did little to affect the constant chill running down his spine. 

On any other mission, Kylan would’ve probably turned back by now, but his heart defied all logic and forced him to continue, pressing on through sheer will alone. If he kept his legs warm, he could hope to be out of the snow in another day or two, arriving near to where Stone-in-the-Wood had once stood. From there it was a straight shot to the Castle of the Crystal and Jen, and hopefully Kira, too. If it was the right, Kira, anyway.

The Spriton refrained from thinking about all the many theories worming their way into his mind as to how a gelfling could have survived out in the open, while Garthim creeped along and stalked every known corner of Thra. With luck, they would be able to tell him in person, once he explained his mission and his identity. Of course, he still had to get there first.

He came to a stop when the mountain dropped off into a slope. Steep, wide, and undisturbed, it looked as if someone had laid a great white sheet over the face of the mountain. Inspecting its surface cautiously, Kylan couldn’t see any protruding rocks or other dangers, and set his pack down on the snow, opening it up to retrieve a medium-sized, rectangular sled. He had carved it himself after Bobb’N introduced him to the activity, and over the many years of hiding sledding had become as much of a passion as music. Setting the wooden transportation down in the snow, Kylan strapped on his pack again, mounting the sled with a quiet grunt. Using both hands he pushed off his place at the top of the slope, descending at a mild speed. It was a rather clean ride, with little to no bumps during his descent, and the sled arrived at its destination without a hitch.

Kylan dismounted and picked up the sled again, holding it under his arm as he began walking on foot again. The sled was really only good for steeper inclines, so it was pointless to try and ride it all the way down the mountain. If he put more effort into it, Kylan was sure that he could build a whole toboggan if he wanted to, but this meager sled would have to do for now. Maybe once he returned to the refuge he could try and refine it, fix the admittedly sloppy handiwork like a verse in one of his songs. That would definitely help combat the boredom that so easily set in when he was alone in his mediocre hut. In that aspect, life in the refuge hadn’t been very different from the stagnation of existence that was his childhood in Sami Thicket; it was just a difference in climate, really, and the fact that he was just a little bit more popular this time around.

_But when I return, I won’t be alone,_ he thought with a smile.

Yes, when he returned he would be bringing back even more gelfling with him. Hopefully he could use that to convince the others of leaving the sanctuary, and return to the rest of their lands on Skarith. Kylan had seen with his own eyes just how sheltered some gelfling had become, not even considering the possibility of ever leaving, others committed to die there. Many had already died there; some by choice, others not.

If there was one thing certain in Kylan’s mind, it was that he would not die stranded in the mountains, distanced from the rest of Thra just because the Skeksis had forced him into hiding there. When he returned to the soil, it would be on his own terms (preferably by old age), and he would die proudly, if not gracefully. Perhaps that was why he had been so quick to agree to this task? It was a way of taking control of his own life again.

The Spriton continued moving, a new determination cementing itself into his spirit. Right now he was making history, right? It would be a shame if he kept everyone waiting because he was too distracted by his own thoughts. Kylan chuckled half-heartedly, but he found that the chill running down his spine had let off some, and he felt his body beginning to adjust to the cold at last.

That was a good sign.

**XXXX**

The Crystal of Truth lit up the chamber in all its purified glory. Next to it, sitting dangerously close to the shaft of fire below, was a disgruntled Aughra, who was currently poised over a collection of numerous shining objects.

Gems, diamonds and rubies of all kinds were scattered about on the floor before her, the box they had come from discarded to the side. She had pilfered the precious things from one of the Skeksis’ private rooms, in order to begin with her experiments in regards to the Darkening. When Jen and Kira returned to the Castle, it would be imperative that she find a way to purge the blight from the boy’s soul and body, lest he become an empty husk for all eternity. To the best of her memory, the only way to combat the power of the Darkening was through the use of crystalline structures, much like the one that used to be within the Emperor’s Scepter of Office, or like the Crystal of Truth itself. The only problem was finding a structure stable enough and powerful enough to hold the purity of Thra’s energy within it, but Aughra was having very little luck so far.

Swiping a ruby off the floor, Aughra touched the red stone to the surface of the Crystal, calling upon a sliver of the planet’s power to transfer to the valuable. The Crystal glowed brighter for a moment, and the ruby in her hands flashed in a burst of light. When she looked at the stone again, the ruby was no longer a ruby, but a pristine white crystal. Beams of light extending from the Crystal of Truth shone through its transparent surface, but in the center of the beautiful rock there was a small orb of light, no bigger than Aughra’s fingernail. Thra’s power had been transferred into the stone.

The old woman smiled, holding up the pretty thing with a triumphant laugh. “Yes! Yes!” She chanted, dancing about the edge of the shaft. “Progress, at last. Ha!”

A tingling sensation in her palm promptly made her stop celebrating, and Aughra lowered the stone back down, gazing at it with a single, critical eye. The tiny orb of energy inside was moving erratically, bouncing back and forth off the walls of its transparent prison. Aughra hurriedly dumped the object onto the floor, and not even a full second later it exploded in another flash of light, sending remnants of the once-ruby across the expanse of the chamber. The miniscule ball of energy emerged from the chaos, floating back to its place of origin and returning to the safety of the Crystal of Truth. Aughra watched the scene bewilderedly, picking her jaw up off the floor angrily.

She stomped back to the edge of the shaft, scowling at the Crystal with her hands on her hips. “What’s all this, then?” Aughra shouted, her only working eyelid twitching in a show of bitter acrimony. 

In the farthest corners of the Crystal Chamber, a few podlings who had been tidying up things slunk against the wall towards the nearest exit, hoping to evacuate the room before the old woman’s anger could be directed at them. Meanwhile, Aughra continued her interrogation of the Crystal, stamping her feet each time she was refused an answer from Thra.

“Answer me, you stubborn stone!” She screamed, nearly falling into the fiery shaft below as she shook her fists at the Crystal. “Do you require another jewel to transfer power to? Was the ruby not pretty enough for you, is that it?”

The Crystal of Truth glowed a bit brighter, and Aughra felt the familiar touch of Thra as the planet made contact through the eye embedded in her forehead. There was a slight warmth upon her brow as a faint yellow light began to be emitted, and Aughra closed her other eye, letting herself fall into the flow of the planet’s energy as the Crystal spoke to her. 

“Ah,” she whispered quietly, nodding her head, “I understand now. Aughra won’t push. Yes, yes. I’ll try to find another way. Thank you.”

The glow from her forehead faded away, and Aughra opened her eye again, slumping to the ground in deep thought as she continued gazing at the Crystal before her. Yet another problem had arisen, and it would serve to only further complicate the first issue. Aughra sighed. “I suppose this was bound to happen, after a millennia of abuse and disorder.”

She huffed again in disappointment, before collecting the scattered valuables into their box and stomping off down the halls of the castle. The Crystal of Truth glowed brightly as she left, letting out a solemn hum that seemed to sound like an apology.

**XXXX**

Kylan slumped against the trunk of a tall tree, enveloping himself in the travel blanket he had brought for the trip. It was made of leftover nurloc hide that had been procured mere hours before their escape into the mountains, and had since been decorated with numerous patterns that he had dream-etched at times when the boredom of the sanctuary had grown tiresome. Now Kylan traced these patterns with nostalgic fingers, following their many swirling paths across the expanse of the blanket until the bitter cold of the wind forced him to retreat into the safety of the nurloc hide.

It had stopped snowing hours ago, but the temperamental winds of the mountains were ever changing, killing any chance of making a fire and pushing the Spriton into his present position against the relatively dry tree. Kylan sat atop his sled to avoid freezing his legs and rear, but he had to admit that there were definitely better, more comfortable ways of sleeping in the snow. It was a pity he didn’t know any of them; he supposed that was the price he had to pay for not being as much of an outdoorsman and more of a sociable hermit during the last twenty trine. 

Unconsciously he had begun tracing the dream-etchings again with his index finger, particularly one that was nothing more than a simple spiral in shape. In contrast to the many others burned into the nurloc hide, the spiral was rather bland with its dark grey coloration, but to Kylan it served a very special purpose. He followed the path of the pattern in its entirety, from the outer circles to the very center of the shape, his finger glowing a bluish-yellow as he did so.

With a guilty smile Kylan closed his eyes and opened his mind to the memory, sighing contentedly as he re-lived a part of his life from a spectator’s point of view...

\---

\--

-

Brea stared at him curiously, and instantly he felt stupid for proposing such a ridiculous idea to her.

She had just put Kira to bed in her room, which was adjacent to their own quarters, and after a few rounds of pleasure they now laid together in their shared bed, enjoying the amiable silence of the Citadel.

At least they had been, until Kylan had brought up the subject of the braids.

It had been something he had picked up from his book about the Vapran musician, a way of connecting with your lover that had been forgotten by the gelfling of the past few generations. He had figured that since Brea was a Vapra she would be open to the idea, but now as she gazed into his eyes it became clear to him that she had zero clue as to what he was talking about. Kylan bit his lip anxiously, muttering a few choice words under his breath.

The silverling laughed shyly, playing with one of his braids. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of such a tradition before. Could you explain it to me just one more time? I’m a bit puzzled.”

Kylan huffed, blowing a stray hair out of his face, and grabbed the other braid in one of his hands, ignoring the heat working its way up his ears. This had been way more embarrassing than he had originally thought, and now he had to explain it all over again? “The things I do for love,” he muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. Anyways, it's called Love Braiding.” The Spriton quickly moved on, holding his other braid as he explained the process. “The Vapra are the ones who made it up. It’s used to show a deeper affection for your other half and symbolize your devotion to one another. Any of this ringing a bell?”

“None at all,” Brea replied, though now she was smiling at him, completely enamored with his demonstrations. “Please, continue.”

The male gelfling coughed a little, his ears flicking in mild discomfort. “Well, how it works is that both partners take strands from each other’s hair and braid it into their own. The belief behind it is that by doing so, your spirits become closer to one another and will never separate, even after death.”

After a few moments of silence he added, “I just thought it would be something nice for us to do. But if you don’t think it’s a great idea, then-”

Brea’s smile deepened. She sat up one one elbow, planting a loving kiss on his nose. “That sounds wonderful, Kylan. I’d love to do that!”

“I’m glad.” The Spriton replied, a nervous laugh escaping him. “I was afraid that it sounded too corny and you’d reject the whole thing.”

“I would never dream of it.” Brea said, brushing her hand against his cheek. “Even when you do something that’s a little cliche, it’s always endearing enough that I can’t help but love you more.”

Kylan raised an eyebrow at that statement. “When have I ever done something that was considered cliche?”

“Love, you proposed to me under a full moon during a fireworks show.”

“Well it worked, didn’t it?”

The pleasant sound of Brea’s infectious laughter was all he got in reply. It was the first time in two unum that she had laughed this hard, and Kylan laughed with her, basking in the presence of the beautiful Vapran, and wondering just what exactly he did to be lucky enough to end up with her. 

_Thra works in mysterious ways..._

-

\--

\---

“...Mysterious ways indeed.” He said dejectedly, removing his finger from the surface of the blanket. As he returned to the present, Kylan pushed himself even further against the tree, wrapping the nurloc hide about his body like a cocoon. Somehow it had gotten even colder. Was it always this freezing when he lived in Ha’rar? Or had the average temperatures dropped in recent years?

It didn’t matter, the Songteller supposed. Soon he could welcome the feeling of grass and dirt beneath his feet again, something that he was terribly starved of. 

Kylan hummed a little at that. Once he was out of the snow, he was sure there would be plenty of things that he would have to reacquaint himself with. Although he hadn’t gotten close to the Endless Forest yet, something told him that everything had drastically changed. Thra was definitely not the same anymore, even if it was healed.

_I wonder how the Plains look right now?_ He thought, trying to picture the infinite waves of yellow that made up his homeland. The last time he had seen the Spriton Plains was when the Skeksis had forced them to evacuate Sami Thicket, and by that point the Darkening had ravaged the land so much that there wasn’t a single area not infected with the disgusting blight. Did the ruins of Sami Thicket still stand? Part of Kylan hoped not, but most of him disagreed. Despite his misgivings about his childhood home, it was still where he had grown up, and also the place where his destiny had first become entangled with that of the Resistance. _Bittersweet memories,_ the Spriton thought, _just like the ones etched into this blanket._

Without a second of hesitation Kylan lifted his hand again and began reminiscing through the dream-etchings, one by one. It was addicting, to know and feel his past happiness all over again, a far cry from the shallow pool of contentment he swam in now. It was both blissful and tortuous, experiencing again that which had passed so long ago, but he couldn’t help himself. By playing around with that first dream-etching Kylan had opened up a part of his soul that he had thought was locked down tight: his grief.

Much like how Rian had been reckless with his physical being, Kylan had always been a bit evasive of his own emotional troubles, often burying them within himself so that he wouldn’t become a burden to others. It was a common occurrence with Maudra Mera, and could’ve been set to a clock back when he first encountered Naia and Gurjin. His destructive habit had only continued long enough to be noticed by Brea, a short time after their first victory against the Skeksis at Stone-in-the-Wood. Somehow she had been able to break him of the habit, and during the war he had learned to open up a bit more when he was overwhelmed, and his friends would help him get through it. But now everybody was gone; Rian was _dead,_ Naia and Gurjin were _dead,_ Deet was _dying,_ and Brea… Brea had simply _disappeared,_ taking Kira with her to who knows where after the cataclysm that was Ha’rar. He was all alone now, and all he had of them were memories.

So he grieved using the memories for comfort. When one ended, Kylan would cry for a short time, and then initiate another, repeating the process until he had covered the entirety of the nurloc hide blanket. It hurt so much, and yet, it felt good to get it out. He _needed_ to get it out. Little by little, he wept until his eyes began to get irritated, and slowly Kylan relaxed against the tree, leaning his head back to take in deep, calming breaths. Gradually, the pain and sorrow was being replaced by remembrance, which was soon replaced by a flicker of hope that the journey he was on now would be a success. 

The mere flicker ignited into a small flame, and soon Kylan was drifting off to sleep with that same flame permeating through his body, and deep down, despite his sorrow a few moments ago, and the pain that followed, he knew that he was going to be alright.

Everything was going to be alright.

**XXXX**

She was cold again, but this time it was a pleasant, comforting breeze upon her skin, rather than the icy chill of the Darkening seeping into her bones. Her eyes were still shut tight, but thankfully her hearing and sense of smell had not become worse in the half-day that Kylan had been gone. The world outside smelled wonderful.

_It’s nice to finally be outside again._

Deet inhaled the sweet mountain air, smiling as she took in deep breaths. The air in the cave had become musty, but out here it was clear and free, and she could relax now that the convulsions had ceased for the day. The Grottan had no clue as to how she moved from the cave to the outside. One moment she was in her corner, desiring to feel the fresh snow between her fingertips, and the next moment she was sitting outside the mouth of the cave, doing just that. A total blackout of memory, but she had moved. It seemed like a fair trade if it meant she could finally get some mobility back.

Her hands brushed against smooth rock, and Deet gripped the formation with as much strength as she could muster. She was going to try to stand. 

Taking in another deep breath, she pushed forward with all her might, focusing on planting her feet flat on the ground. Slowly but surely, her right foot came into position beneath her, the left foot lagging behind by a few minutes. Readjusting her grip on the rock, Deet pulled herself up, forcing her toes into the rough snow so that her legs would extend out to their full length. At the same time she lifted up her head, a pained sound escaping from the back of her throat as she did so. Her messy hair fell haphazardly around her face and ears, but Deet ignored it, focusing instead on the fact that she was actually moving of her own free will. It provided just the right amount of comfort necessary to get her over the proverbial mountain.

With a groan, the Grottan female leaned against the rock, completely exhausted, but satisfied with herself. “I… I moved.” She said in between breaths, and the smallest of grins cracked itself along her lips. A raspy giggle escaped her. “Now... if I can... just… open my eyes.” 

She attempted the action, but the combination of what she assumed were the suns and the stinging quality of the mountain air forced her eyes closed again. Well, that was going to be a bit of a problem. Deet groaned again, and shuffled her feet around so that she rotated and could sit upon the rock. Her wings flapped open of their own accord, and she took in another deep breath, stretching them out quietly as she gathered up all of her available strength. Perhaps she could fly instead of walk? But where would she go? She had not even the slightest indication of where she was, and she could hear no other gelfling in her general vicinity. Yesmit, she was alone.

_Okay, alone then._ Deet pushed off of the rock and tried flapping her wings, but before she could get a good beat off them her legs collapsed from under her, and she barreled into the snowy ground, scratching her cheek in a most uncomfortable face-plant.

“...Darn.”

She lay there for a few moments before rolling onto her back and stretching out her tired limbs. Well, at least now she knew that she couldn’t use her wings yet. Even in failure there is still progress. Another raspy laugh made its way past her lips. Just as she was about to roll over again, however, the sound of approaching feet crunching through the snow and dirt caught her attention, and despite her eyelids being closed Deet lifted her head in the direction of the noise, her ears flicking at the sound of a startled gasp.

“Oh, dear Thra! Are you alright?” A voice asked her. It sounded female, and younger than her, and once the strength returned to her vocal chords Deet couldn’t help but say the first words on her mind.

“You’re not Kylan.” It was a stupid thing to say. She already knew that Kylan had left, but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t be wary of this new person.

The voice laughed at her, but not unkindly. “No, I’m not Kylan, but I am a friend.” Then, after a short pause: “Do you need help getting up?”

Deet grunted good-naturedly and smiled. “Yep.”

The female voice laughed again, and Deet heard the footsteps come closer. A pair of slender hands grabbed her by the shoulders and carefully lifted her up into a sitting position, brushing off the snow and dust that clung to her back and hair. After a moment of rest, the hands moved underneath her arms and pulled her up with little effort. It made Deet feel a bit embarrassed that she had been helped so easily when she had struggled so much to stand by herself, but she was grateful that this stranger had come along. Right now they were all that was keeping her from freezing to death.

The voice let out a short whine, and one of the hands disappeared from Deet’s side before returning a moment later. The Grottan turned her head towards the sound, tilting her chin to the stranger. “Is everything... okay?” She asked.

“Yes, everything’s fine. Oof.” The mystery woman replied. “It’s just the baby. I swear, this will be the most energetic childling in the history of Thra once he’s born.”

“You’re pregnant?!” Deet gasped, bewildered at the situation. “Why are you helping me then? You shouldn’t be out here in the snow! It’s cold!”

The woman chuckled lightly at her panic. “It’s quite alright. I’m a friend, remember? I need to help you first. Besides, you’re nearly freezing.”

Deet felt herself being inched forward ever slowly, and she realized with a start that the friendly mystery woman - who was now apparently pregnant - was moving with her, having the Grottan lean against her for support as they walked. Deet silently thanked Thra for blessing her with this strange encounter, and she raised a weak hand to rest upon the woman’s back as a small show of gratitude. The stranger didn’t miss the gesture, and returned it by holding Deet a bit more securely, speeding up their pace a little.

Deet smiled again. Despite her caution in the beginning, this stranger really was proving to be quite the friend. She just had to know her name.

“My name?” The woman said, and Deet realized she had asked the question out loud. The Grottan simply nodded in the affirmative, grinning when a tender laugh floated through the air. “It’s Lorinau, but my friends just call me Lori.”

“Hmm... It’s nice to meet you, Lori. I’m Deet.” 

“Glad to know you, Deet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's up everybody? After two weeks I finally got around to finishing this chapter. I hope it was worth the wait.  
> And don't worry, our boy Kylan is going to be alright, I just felt like I needed to have a chapter that mostly focused on him, since he's kinda just been in the background for most of the story so far. Plus the dude needs to have a good cry to feel better.  
> Next chapter we'll be going back to the Castle to figure things out with Aughra, Jen, and Kira.  
> I hope you enjoyed! I appreciate all of you guys who like the story.


End file.
